"KEEPING LIFE IN FOCUS"

Written and preached by David P. Nolte

EXODUS 14:10-20

1. TO KEEP LIFE IN FOCUS, LOOK AWAY FROM THE OMINOUS DIFFICULTIES:
1. Pharaoh's army was fast approaching. They weren't coming for a family reunion or a Sunday School Picnic. They had murder in mind. They had mayhem on the menu. They wanted to play kick ball with the Jews - they'd do the kicking and the Jews could do the bawling. And the Jews saw them coming.
2. Every inclination of Jews was to consider the difficulty and then to magnify it and to grouse, gripe and grumble about it. Can't you just hear that bunch of sniveling cry-babies during the Exodus?
1. "We don't have any water! We don't have any meat! We hate this manna stuff! Manna cookies, manna brownies, manna mush! Manna in the morning, manna at noon, manna in the evening - and we don't even know what it is!"
2. "The Egyptians will catch us and make mincemeat of us! We can't escape! We're doomed! We're gonna die out here."
3. "You are a moron, Moses, and it's all your fault!"
4. They focused on difficulties and griped about it. That always happens when we focus on ominous difficulties.
3. Let me make two contrasts of focus and two contrasts in results here:
1. First consider Peter. Jesus was walking on the water toward the disciples as they were in their boat on Galilee. Peter stepped out of the boat at Jesus' invitation. The text reads, "But seeing the wind, he became afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me!' And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?' And when they got into the boat, the wind stopped." Matthew 14:29-32 (NASB). Peter focused on the wind and began to sink. His life was out of focus.
2. Then, in contrast, consider Stephen. He was preaching the Gospel to the Jews and they were enraged. They began to stone him. We read, "But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily upward into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God's right hand. And he told them, 'Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God's right hand!'" Acts 7:55-56 (NLT). His focus? The rocks? The ominous difficulty? No! His focus was Jesus and heaven and he was at peace in strife, and alive in death. His life was in focus.
4. Allen Gardiner, a missionary on Picton Island at the southern tip of South America, experienced many physical difficulties and hardships throughout his service for Christ. But despite his troubles, he said, "While God gives me strength, failure will not daunt me." In 1851, at the age of 57, he died of disease and starvation. When his body was found, his diary was found. It bore the record of hunger, thirst, wounds, and loneliness. The last entry in his little book showed the struggle of his shaking hand as he tried to write legibly. It read, "I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God." His life was in focus because he looked away from ominous difficulties. That's how to keep life in focus.

2. TO KEEP LIFE IN FOCUS, KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE LORD:
1. The Israelites needed not to look at the pursuing Egyptians, but at the Protecting God; not at the danger but at the Deliverer; not at the menace but at the Master.
2. As we go through life, we need to keep in focus. The Hebrew letter tells us how to do that, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on Whom our faith depends from start to finish." Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT).
3. Back to Peter and Stephen for contrast:
1. Peter took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the high risk of drowning. Had he kept his eyes on the Lord, the water would have been as hard as concrete beneath his feet. Peter's life was out of focus.
2. Stephen kept his eyes on Jesus and as the Jews were enraged at him, he was able to say, "Look, I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." Acts 7:56 (NIV). And as they stoned him to death, he said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." Acts 7:59-60 (NIV). Keeping his eyes on the Lord made him the winner, not his murderers. Stephen's life was in focus.
4. A little boy was boldly standing up to a bully. This surprised the thug and he said, "I could pulverize you, why ain't you scared?" The little boy said, "Cuz I ain't lookin' at you, I'm lookin at my big brother standing right behind you!" When the thug looked at the protector, he fled post haste. So, we can keep life in focus if we look not at the evil one or at the difficulties, but at the Lord.

3. TO KEEP LIFE IN FOCUS, LOOK FOR GOD'S DELIVERANCE:
1. Moses instructed them, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." Exodus 14:14 (NIV).
2. That's reminiscent of the Psalm where we read, "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear, even if earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!" And "Be silent, and know that I am God!" Psalms 46:1-3, 10 (NLT).
3. How may God deliver us in time of trouble?
1. He may send a deliverer of some sort as He did when He sent the Judges to drive out the enemies of Israel. Judges 3:9, 15.
2. He may give us power to cope with and overcome the danger as He did David when he withstood Goliath. 1 Samuel 17.
3. He may provide for our needs as He did for Israel in food and water and clothing in the wilderness. Exodus.
4. He may give us a way to escape, as He did Paul who was lowered down the city wall in a basket to escape his enemies. Acts 9:25.
5. He may give us ability, courage, strength and comfort to abide in, and triumph through, the difficulty and danger as He did Paul who learned to be content and victorious even in prison. Philippians 4:11.
6. God has the power, the purpose, the plan, the promise to deliver. And He will deliver us in His time and way.
7. Beth Moore said, "Deliverance is for everyone - no matter how you got stuck, no matter how long you've been down, whether you think you deserve it or not."
4. A sad but humorous story is told of a little boy who got stuck. He climbed a tree though he knew he was forbidden to do it. Going up was easy, and the easy way down was to fall out which he didn't want to do. The boy found himself stuck about 15 feet above ground in that tree. His mother came looking for him when he didn't come when she called him. He kept quiet. She didn't think to look up into the tree and walked right under him. He didn't want to let her know he was stuck there for fear of punishment, so he sat stock still. An hour later, he was growing tired of the whole thing and began hollering. Mother, hearing him, came out and asked, "What are you doing in the tree? Were you there when I was calling you?" The boy sheepishly admitted that he was, and that he was sorry he disobeyed, but he had kept quiet to avoid punishment. His mother said, "I think being stuck in the tree for over an hour is probably discipline enough. I'll get the ladder and you can come down. Have you learned your lesson?" The boy had. The sad thing is that he was fearing punishment and was not looking for deliverance which was at hand. In fear, he stayed stuck in the tree. Look for God's deliverance, don't stay stuck for any reason. To keep life in focus, don't let fear blind you to the deliverance God has in store.

Life gets easily out of focus. We concentrate on the wrong things. We let the world distract us from focus on Christ. We often major in minors. But to keep life in focus, keep looking to Jesus, not hardships, or difficulties, or trivial things. Keep the main thing the main thing. Jesus is the main thing. Jesus first, Jesus last, and Jesus in-between keeps our focus. This is a moment to decide to put Jesus first. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Let focus on Him diminish the view you have of this world. Let the temporal things grow dim. Let the light of Jesus shine brightly, bringing your values, and will, and passions, all you have and are and hope to be, into focus for the things important to Him. Do that this morning while we stand to sing. Decide today to follow Jesus Christ and your life will be sharp and clear and totally in focus.

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