Focus for Effect: Love | Mac Hammond
 
Recap
 
Pastor Mac taught the third installment of his series entitled, “Focus on Effect,” based upon 2nd Corinthians 4:17, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” The apostle Paul said the hardships in our lives can be light and momentary. It all depends on what we place our focus upon. Paul says we are to focus our attention on what is eternal, rather than what is temporal. There are three things that are eternal: faith, hope, and love. We are to focus on that.
 
Dive Deeper
 
We are not to focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen, on that which is eternal.
 
When something is in focus, we gain a clarity that enables us to better understand.
 
Clarity only comes by what you give your attention to. And that is a battle over our attention: what you hear, what you renew your mind to, and what you think upon.
 
The challenge is to keep your attention where it belongs. There are many things in this world that want our attention. It can be information overload for the purpose of distracting our attention. Some things are good; however, these things should not be our life’s focus.
 
The one thing that should be our focus is the Word of God. You’re an eternal spiritual being, but you live in this world and how to live it successfully is important.
 
Living in this world as a spiritually alive human being, things aren’t always in focus. The Word says we see as though through a glass darkly right now. The temporal realm often contradicts the Word, which makes things “fuzzy.”
 
Seeing things as though through a glass darkly will often generate questions: “Well, why isn’t this working? Why have I prayed so many times and nothing’s happened? Why did I get hands laid on and nothing’s gone down yet?”
 
When you get a question, don’t dwell on it. Questions that are “dwelled upon” become a seed of unbelief which will separate you completely from the promise of God. You can’t let that occur.
 
Faith, Hope, and Love are eternal truths…
 
1st Cor. 13:12, “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (KJV)
 
The New Living Translation puts it this way: “…three things will last forever: faith, hope, and love.”
 
Now we see as though through a glass darkly, “but” there are three things that last forever and that are eternal: faith, hope, and love. And God is saying this is where your focus needs to be given.
 
When you are engaged in trying not to pay too much attention to something going on in the temporal realm, shift your focus to faith, hope, or love: these three of which love is the greatest.
 
You are to be cognizant more of the spiritual realm than you are the natural realm.
 
The Lord has placed before us the choice of “life and blessing,” or “death and cursing.” It’s our choice on which to embrace. Every decision you make is going to be for either life and blessing or death and cursing.
When you take your attention off what the seen realm says about your life and place it on what God says, whatever hardships come your way, they’ll be light and momentary. They’ll be less intense because you’re looking at the realm of truth that changes the temporal realm when you give it enough attention.
Read About It
 
2nd Cor. 4:17, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”
 
1st Cor. 13:12–13, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”
 
Discussion Questions
 
If you were to describe what it means to think on things on the seen realm, what would that sound like?
Conversely, if you were to describe what it means to think on things in the unseen realm, what would that sound like?
God has placed before us the choice of life and blessing or death and cursing. Describe what kind of life choices you would place in these two categories. What are choices for life and blessing? What are choices for death and cursing?

Recent Sermon Notes

FOCUS FOR EFFECT: Hope | Mac Hammond

This series is all about focus, meaning where do you give your attention. This is important because whatever you give your attention to will determine how hard or difficult your life will be. And conversely, it will determine how easy and carefree it will be. Teaching on 1st Corinthians 13:13, Pastor Mac says you can gain the clarity you need to succeed in your life by focusing on matters of faith, hope, and love.

Focus on Effect | Mac Hammond

Pastor Mac began a new series entitled, “Focus on Effect.” He started off by telling us the topic of the new series is something we probably think we already know about, but in fact, we don’t know enough about it as we probably should. The scriptural reference was 2nd Corinthians 4:17–18: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Though Pastor Mac has taught on this passage before, he said he’s “gotten a glimpse of a different side of this mountain. And I’m seeing it from a perspective that has really impacted me in a positive way.” He added, “And I want it to be that way for you all as well.”

Are We in the Days of Noah? | Jim Hammond

Jesus’ disciples asked Him what the signs will be of His coming. Jesus said it will be like it was in the days of Noah: “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Fellow believers, we are in the days of Noah. All they thought about in the days of Noah was eating and drinking and the like. They were not thinking about the flood that was coming. So it is today!

A Deception of Palestine | Jim Hammond

This past weekend, Pastor Jim ministered a special God-directed message for the congregation entitled, “A Deception of Palestine.” He talked about how there is a division in the body of Christ worldwide, where believers are allowing themselves to become deceived when it comes to the present and ongoing deception regarding the Jewish people and Israel. It’s important that Christians do not allow themselves to be persuaded by worldly and ungodly leaders and news systems. It’s important they know what the Word of God says and exalt it as God’s truth.

The Seven Mountains of Influence Lance Wallnau

This last weekend, we had a very special guest minister, Lance Wallnau, at our weekend services. Lance is well known for his revelation of the “Seven Mountains of Influence” and how these mountains of influence shape and change the world. He preached about how God is calling the church to make disciples of nations. And in order to do that, we need strong, territorial churches that are raising up believers to go out and become the “head and not the tail.” Lance basically taught on the same thing at all three services but much of the information he shared in each service differed. So in light of that, if you want to hear his full message, it would be beneficial for you to listen to all three messages.