Fix Your Focus | Colossians | Part 3

We are going to be in Colossians chapter 3 today. This is a letter written by Paul to the church while he's in prison. This is a church he did not start. This is a church that was built in faith, but they started to deviate off of the main message and what was actually important. Now, this is significant because we all do this in our lives. It reminds me of the cars that have the lane warning system. Do you know what I'm talking about? When your car starts to deviate into the other lane and it starts to warn you, it'll flash at you, or their seat will buzz. How many has got a car like this? In the last couple of years, you've got a car. My wife loves it because she used to be that for me. She used to be the one that was like, Aaron, you're in another lane. You're deviating again. Now she doesn't have to. She's like, listen to the car. It's good for our marriage. But Paul is like this lane warning system to the church at Colossae as they started to deviate off of what was most important. He's bringing them back on track and showing them that this is all about Jesus. I want to pick up today in Colossians chapter three. It's a challenging message for us all and how to really go to the next level with our lives and how to really make our lives all about Jesus. He challenges us on two very important things that will help you today in your life. Colossians chapter three, verse one, it says, since you have been raised with Christ, let me just say it starts there. It starts with you being born again. This is not behavior management. It's not adding Jesus to your already complicated life. No, this is about surrendering your life to Christ, going all in. As I talked about last week, going under new management with God. If you haven't done that, you can do that today. There's always an opportunity. I'm just proud to say that last week we had over 200 people say yes to Jesus. I'm going all in with God. Maybe you were one of those few hundred people. What do you do next? He says, since you have been raised with Christ, here's what you have to do. This is the challenge for all of us. Set your hearts on things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Then he takes it the next step further. He says, now set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Then he gives us why. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. What he's doing is he's challenging us. Now that we are believers, we have to learn how to put our hearts and our minds in the right place. That's why I titled today's message, Fix Your Focus. Fix your focus. How many know we all have moments where our focus gets deviated off of what is most important? It gets diverted off of what we should be focused on. I have never been diagnosed with ADHD, but you can make your guess

if I am or not. I had a moment just the other day. I was sitting down to work on this message. As I'm working on the message, the notification went off on my phone. It's a friend of mine obviously sending me a funny video. Those always kind of get me. They're normally always an office video or Seinfeld reference. This one was a Seinfeld video, so I watched it. I laughed. Then as I was sitting there laughing about it, I was thinking, what happened to those actors? Then I started to research what was going on with those actors. Where are they today? What's been going on? Then as I'm researching them, I'm realizing that some of them became super successful and others didn't. Then I started to Google what are the net worth of each of the Seinfeld actors? Then it's really interesting to find out that Jerry Seinfeld is a billionaire because of that show. The others didn't make it as well when it comes to money. I was thinking, how did one become a billionaire and the others became millionaires? I was like, that seems like a big difference. Is it a big difference? Then I started to think, what's the difference between a billion dollars and a million dollars? Well, a million, if you put it into minutes, a million minutes was two years ago. That's two years ago, but a billion minutes is almost 2,000 years ago. I started to think, wow, 2,000 years ago, that's when Jesus was here. Then I started to think, I wonder what kind of entertainment they had 2,000 years ago. I went to go Google what kind of actors or actresses were around 2,000 years ago. Then I realized, what are you thinking about, Aaron? I had gone off track. Back to the message. Back to what's important. Don't we all do this with our lives? If you're not careful, it's not just with your thought life. It's with your money. It's with your time. It's with every area of your life. You've got to realize, man, am I focused the way God wants me to be focused? Ephesians chapter 5 says it this way. Paul challenges the church and he says, be very careful then how you live. Are you careful how you're living? Are you Careful about what you're focused on not as unwise, but as wise when it comes to how you spend your money I talked to a friend the other day, and I was like tell me about your budget I just don't have one. I choose not to think about it. I'm like that's your problem That's your problem Socrates says it this way the unexamined life is not worth living And I want you to understand when it comes to your life You have to be careful about how you're living because like the church in Colossae

We're all prone to to just move a little bit off course We start with this focus on Jesus making it all about him, and then life comes in the way Children show up the job shows up so much pulls you off course and and today is a day where you're Rechallenged again. Here's hear me out hear me out because if you don't evaluate your life You will never elevate your life If you don't evaluate how you're spending your time how you spend your money How you're spending your thought life you will never elevate your life to the calling that God has for you And it's all of our natural tendency to start focus, but leave Distracted and and we get in this world where we get focused on all these wrong things can I say it this way? Your life will be as fruitful as you are focused so many people are way too scattered to actually be Significant you've got your hands in a lot of different things But your life is not focused on really things that matter most and whatever you focus on will eventually be fruitful So are you focusing on the things of this world? Are you focusing on yourself? Are you focusing on your flesh? Are you really living a life where you're going? I'm putting all of my focus and something that I want to be fruitful at and if you are is that thing something That's eternal or is it something that's temporary? Let's live a life that's focused on what really matters most and many times We got to fix our focus because the world pulls us and and money pulls us and people pull us But this is our attention in our time to get our focus right back to what really matters most So Paul tells us what to do And he shows us how to get our focus back and what we should be focusing on any challenges of us with two things Now if you've been around radiant, we always have three points but today and only today for a limited amount of time We only have two points for you today because we're gonna have communion together. It's gonna be special ready How do you evaluate your focus number one and it says it right there in verse one since you've been raised with Christ Set your hearts on things above now that phrase set your hearts. What is he challenging us with? Here's the first question. I want you to evaluate your life with is what do you want? What do you really want? What is it that your heart craves? He says this phrase set your hearts. It means to seek earnestly or

crave with passion He's evaluating the cravings of our hearts the desires of our hearts if I asked you What do you want? What would your response be? You know every time that you see this in a beauty pageant It's like what do you want more? Most of all they're like peace on earth. We're like, do you really I think you want a crown? to brag to your friends about Like like what do you really want? I love to ask this question, but put the word after it. I've said what do you want? Really? Like what do you really want in your life? Like what is the great desires of your heart? I just want to make a difference in the world. Do you really? Like I just want to build a business that honors God Is that really the desire of your heart or is it to make a little bit more money? Get a nicer house eventually make it onto the water Like like I are we in that kind of rat race or we really have a desire to honor God I just I really want a godly spouse. Well, who you dating right now? I Don't I don't see what you want Really adding up with what you're doing like like what do you really want because it seems like you just want companionship right now Like like we got to evaluate. What do we really really want with our life? And here's the problem with all of it the world is very enticing and This world you were never created for this world to satisfy you You were never created to find your fulfillment in the things of this world the desires of this world the stuff of this World, but it entices all of us and here's the problem with this earth Is that it over promises on fun? but it under delivers on fulfillment and the world will get you to crave the newest thing the newest upgrade the Newest promotion the newest phone and as soon as you get it, what happens? You realize I'm not satisfied it did not add up to what it promised because this is what the world does it gives you these cravings but it can't satisfy them because here's the reality earth can only give you a glimpse of what heaven specializes in and if you are looking for ultra fulfillment check your heart that you're not looking for in the things that are here and now but you're looking for in the things of god in the things of eternity in the things of heaven because that's where fulfillment is found that's where fulfillment is found so paul challenges the people later in this verse who are so prone towards earth and we're all do it we all spend way too much time

scrolling on amazon way too much time on zillow looking at houses you ain't ever gonna buy we all do it so what do we do about this paul tells us look at we're in we're in colossians three let's jump down to verse five so put to death oh that's a hard phrase right there in the last verse he says but you died and now you have to put to death both of those are true when we when we become believers we die to ourselves and we belong to christ but then we are constantly having to daily put to death the things of this world that all entice us all and then he gives us a list whatever belongs to your earthly nature sexual immorality and purity lust evil desires greed which is idolatry i want more more more don't we all crave that in our lives and he says because of these here's the reality the wrath of god is coming ouch what he's saying is this thing that you think is is harmless is actually going to bring the wrath of god in our world and then he says this phrase right here you used to walk in these ways that's not who you are anymore you have to check yourself at times when you see yourself creating the things of this world you go no no no no i used to walk in these things when you see yourself prone to dating people like you would have dated you go no no no no that person died i am now a new creation i used to walk in these ways i'm putting to death these cravings i'm a new creation in christ jesus so i'm putting these things to death so let's make it very practical okay because how do we overcome the desires of this world and i i wrote it on this way it's not in your notes the way you set your heart on christ is by dying to the things of this world every single day i overcome the love of the world by becoming more in love with the one who created everything it's not that i don't love stuff that is here and now it's not that i don't love my spouse or my job or my kids or the boat those are not bad things but what i love is jesus more than those things that my greatest desire is that i'm not enamored by the things of the world more than i am enamored by the things of god that i have a greater love for jesus than i do have things of this world and you've got to catch yourself church because many times if you feel that love for the things of the world being greater than the love for the things of god you've missed it in your life so we got to check ourselves to go no god help me love you more to be more infatuated with you more in love with you than the things of this world and that's how you overcome this cravings of our heart where so much of it pulls us towards the things of the world and you say god no help me help me help me to love you more help me to love you more now let me be very clear how do we love god more here's what i've learned a genuine love for god must come from god

so you can't just sit there and go i'm not gonna love the world i'm not gonna love the world i am gonna love god i am gonna love god i am gonna love god when you sit there and do that you just live in frustration but here's how you love god more you love god more realizing that god is love and any genuine love that you're gonna get in your life has to come from him that's what first john says it says dear friends let us love one another for love comes from god and everyone who loves has been born of god and knows god so the way you love god more is you ask god to help you love him more so you pray and you say god these things of the world are enticing help me love you more than them god i love my spouse so much but i don't want to have that as an idol in my life help me love you more also when there's difficult people in your life and God has kept them in your life and you're supposed to love them. Where does that come from? It comes from God. You say, God, this person drives me crazy, but you love them and somehow you see good in them. I don't see it, God, but supernaturally helped me love them more because love comes from God. By the way, can I just be very vulnerable? There's times that I have to, when I'm opening up God's word some mornings and I go, God, help me love your word more. I wish I could just say I always felt that overwhelming love, but sometimes you have to ask God for more love for things in your life where love is difficult. That's why, by the way, and it's never an excuse to get divorced because you fell out of love because that actually means you stop praying for your spouse because God will deposit supernatural love even when you don't feel it. In Jesus name, amen. That wasn't, I didn't say that in any other service, but come on, that's some good preaching right there. I'm feeling it today. All right, let's keep going. So we start with our hearts and then he goes, now set your minds on things above.

Now this is where it gets a little spicy. You ready for this? Because some of y'all, you think about some things that are not hidden with Christ, because here's your second question. Ready? What do you want? And then what do you think about? All right, let's, let's, let's lean into this. All right. Here's how you fix your focus. What do you want? And what do you think about? What do you, what do you want more than anything? What is your heart desire? And what are your thoughts right now? If you'll fix these two things, it'll fix the focus of your life. I'm leaving it up there for just a second because I want you to get this because if you'll get your wants right and you'll get your thoughts right, your life will be right. So let's talk about your thoughts for a little bit because your thoughts really, really matter. Hear me out. Real transformation happens when you give Jesus control of your thought life. Because the greatest war you will ever fight is right between your ears. It's winning the war in your mind because as the mind goes, the man always follows. So if your mind is negative, your life will be negative. But if your mind is on things above, your life will always go to things above in your life. Your life will always go to the next level because your life is heading in the direction of your strongest thoughts. So I hope this challenges you to evaluate what are the thoughts I'm thinking. And as I meditate on them, am I satisfied with where it's leading me to the destination

that it's going? Because your life will go in the direction of those thoughts. So that's why our passage today says to set your minds. So I did a lot of research on what does this mean to set your mind. You can write it down. It means you adopt a mindset or a focus. I am choosing what I am going to think about. I am making a decision what thoughts I meditate on and what I'm going to think about throughout the day. I am not going to think whatever anybody else just tells me to think. You are not some robot that just goes, well, it's just what everybody else thinks, so I guess I'm going to think that way. No, you set your mind. I don't care what social media tells you to think. Set your mind. I am thinking about things above. I don't care what some influencer told you online. I am setting my mind on things above. I will not let negative Nancy at the workplace dictate if I have a good day or a bad day because my mind is on things above. That's why Paul says you don't be conformed to the patterns of this world, but we're transformed how? By the renewing of your mind. You change how you think, it will change how you live. So if you don't like how you're living, it goes back to your thought lives. Am I conformed to what the world says or am I living conformed and it's going, I'm going to set my mind on what God wants me to think. So let me just say it this way. All of our thoughts can be put in two categories. Every thought that goes through your mind is in one of two categories.

Ready? It's either stinking thinking or sanctified thinking. We're going to have some fun, especially after this last week. Let's have a little bit of fun because some of you got way too much of this. I mean, it's stinking thinking. That car pulled in front of you at 275 and you did not go, praise God from whom. Blessing comes. No, no, no, no. That wasn't what came through your mind. No, no, no. You know what you're doing? You, you had that thought going, that person is an idiot. I don't know why God created them. They are definitely Polk County. They're not even from here. Doesn't even make sense. I don't know, no offense to our Polk County people, but do you know what I mean? It's, it's, it's crazy. Some of you got in Facebook fights this week, and I promise you, you pull up your comments. I don't think they were things of the Lord, things of righteousness, things of encouraging the body and building the faith of people. It was a lot of, you're an idiot. Who do you think you are? Like we have way too much of this in the body of Christ. And no wonder we are not a beautiful aroma and a fragrance to the world that goes, Oh, I want to be close to y'all. You know why? Because we don't have a lot of sanctified thinking in our life. Thinking that has been transformed, renewed by God. So you have to evaluate your thoughts. Is it stinking thinking or is it sanctified thinking? I'm a failure. I'll never succeed that stinking thing thinking, but you know what sanctified thinking says? I am a workman. I am God's workmanship created for good works in Christ Jesus. Stinking thinking, nobody cares about me. I'm all alone. Nobody's with me. No, no. God is always with me. He has set me part of the body of Christ. I am a valuable member of the body of Christ. My situation is hopeless. There's no way out of it. No, with God, all things are possible. He can make a way. No, no, no. Let me tell you, I'm too weak to handle this. We learned about this last week. Even in difficult seasons, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I've got some sanctified thinking in my life. I am defined by my past. I'm never going to move past that. You know what? Here's the reality is I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. The old is gone. The new is here. That's sanctified thinking in my life. People are out to get me. Everybody's out to get me. Everybody's against me. Here's the reality is. How about this one? I can't untrust this church. Everybody's got bad motives. I can't get in a group here. Nope, nope. Nobody

understands me. Nope, no, no, no, no, no. God is guiding me to the right relationships. God is orchestrating my steps. The steps of the righteous men are ordered by the Lord. If he brought me here, he's planting me here for a divine purpose. I'm telling you, I've got sanctified thinking in my life. The world is too dark. Nothing's going to change. I am the light of the world. I am going out there with the power of the Holy Spirit to bring change into the world. I'm not going to live by stinking thinking. I'm going to live by sanctified thinking. The thoughts of God in my life. Can I hear a better amen today, church? You change your life by choosing what to meditate on. So when you wake up and you're meditating on what is negative and what is critical and what is wrong, no wonder your life is going that way. But when you learn to change your thoughts, and change your life by saying, I will meditate on the things of God. This is why I start every day in the scriptures. You know why? Because I need my mind to be renewed every single day, because every day we're all prone to some stinking thinking. Paul actually addresses it in further detail. I love this. He says it this way. Finally, brothers and sisters, here's what you think about. Ready? Whatever's true, whatever's noble, whatever's right, whatever's pure, whatever's lovely, that's admirable. If anything is excellent or praiseworthy, here's what I want you to do. Think about those things. I wonder this last week, as you were doom scrolling online, were you thinking about things that are right and pure, lovely, excellent, or praiseworthy? Were you meditating on those things? You change your life by changing what you think about. That's why the writers of Hebrews says, what do we do? We fix our eyes on Jesus. I don't know what's got your attention during this season. Fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and the perfecter of our faith. And look what Jesus did. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorn and shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. You know what happens when you fix your eyes on Jesus? You can endure painful seasons with joy, because you know there's always purpose attached to it. Because my mind is on him. My mind is focused on him. Paul ends this passage, chapter three. Let's go to verse 15. And he gives us the result. I want you to see the result. This is, by the way, I don't want you to rush out after communion, because after communion. I'm going to do the benediction. This is going to be our benediction today. This is going to be our final closing prayer. This is what I want you to have more than anything else this week. In a world filled with chaos and division and tragedy, here's what I want you to have.

Let the peace of Christ rule your hearts. Since you're members of one body and you're called to peace, wow, we're called to peace in every situation and be what? Thankful. The amount of times that Paul mentions gratitude in Colossians is shocking because he's showing us that gratitude is not dependent upon your circumstance. It's an attitude of your heart that I'm going to have a grateful heart. I'm going to have grateful thoughts even if the world is not great. That's good preaching right there. I'll get to that one another day. But then it says, let the message of Christ dwell amongst you richly, meaning everywhere you go, you're bringing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through Psalms, hymns, songs of the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude. There it is again. Gratitude in your parts. Hear me out, Radiant. Whatever you do, I don't care if you're a teacher. I don't care if you sell solar panels. I don't care if you're a realtor. I don't care if you're a mom. Hear me out. Whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, look what it says, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then look what the last challenge is, and giving thanks to God the Father. You know what this is? This shows me three undeniable signs that your cravings and your thoughts are on Christ. Let me give them to you as you close. Ready? When our hearts are on Christ, we have peace. It's unexplainable. Our world is all in chaos and confusion, but not us. We have peace that is unexplainable. Why? Because we have the peace of God that's guarding our lives. Then we also have purpose that is eternal. That's what he says. He says, Let the message of Christ dwell with you richly. Meaning, everywhere we go, we understand if God puts us in a situation, he's putting us there to bring his message, his good news. We have a purpose that is eternal. Then we have gratitude that is constant. In every situation, we're just grateful because we understand that in everything, we can be thankful. We can have gratitude in our hearts. As Paul says, we're giving thanks to God in every situation, whatever we do, because gratitude is not dependent upon what our situation is. Gratitude is dependent on the fact that God is good, and he has started the work in us. Even if it's difficult in this season, he will bring us through it so we can be grateful. We are focused as a church on what God is doing instead of what's not happening in our life, what God has done instead of what we're expecting him to do. We're just grateful people. Sometimes you just have to pause, and you have to go, You know what? I think my heart has gone on things of this world, and my mind has gotten focused on way too many things that has pulled me

away from peace, purpose, and gratitude. We're going to end this message with just being grateful. We're going to take a moment all across Tampa Bay, 11 locations, everybody in overflow, nobody moving around. Let's just take a moment right now. I just want you right there in your seat to just close your eyes without asking God for anything. Can you just take about 20 seconds, and can you just give him thanks? Can you thank him for your family? Can you thank him for this season you're in? Come on. Let's have a moment, God. We're just thankful. Thank him for your church. Just have two or three things that come to your mind. Just give God thanks for it. Let's enter his gates with thanksgiving. Lord, we choose in this moment to be grateful. About 10 more seconds. Thank God even for the tough season you're in, knowing that God's refining you, and he's shaping you, and he's giving you the strength to move forward. Thank you, God, for what you're doing in me. You're building perseverance, and you're building character. I thank you, God. I will walk in gratitude for what you are doing in me and through me.