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Faith in Focus
23 Plays1 month ago
Let’s Take a Moment to Focus
Focus matters. But even more important than simply focusing… is focusing on the right thing—or rather, the right One. In a world full of distractions, keeping our eyes on Jesus is essential to walking faithfully with Him. When we focus on Christ, we rise above the crashing waves of life. But when we lose sight of Him, we begin to sink.
Join Chris and special guest Sam Smith as they reflect on the power of focus—and what it really means to fix our eyes on Jesus.
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Transcript
Introduction and Sam's Journey
00:00:22
Christian McKenzie
Well, we are going to talk about focus and talk about meeting a new friend right here in today's episode on the Faith 168 Podcast. And I want to introduce my friend, Sam Smith. It's not the singer.
00:00:36
Christian McKenzie
It's a lot better than the singer, I think. and But I'm going to let him talk a little bit and introduce himself. And know we met over at Camp Katie's just recently.
00:00:46
Christian McKenzie
And it was a wonderful time there. Did a wonderful job. Got to watch your message there. ah Tell us a little bit about yourself.
00:00:54
Samuel Smith
Well, as you said, my name Sam Smith. ah I surrendered to the ministry in 2003. I was saved at the age of six in the garage of my house that I lived in Ballard County. I was wearing my Batman backpack.
00:01:09
Samuel Smith
My mom's 2011 Camry and my mom did a great job of discipling me on my way home because I was asking some of the questions that were leading to salvation. She did a great job of leading me down the right path and understanding that it was my decision, not
00:01:21
Christian McKenzie
Thank you.
00:01:23
Samuel Smith
her decision or anyone else's decision, but I got saved there. And I went through many years of saying no to Christ and not focusing on Christ. And then I finally said yes at Camp Cata's in
Calling to Ministry and Following God's Guidance
00:01:37
Samuel Smith
2003. I started in the ministry, but that's pretty much my, uh, spiritual journey personally.
00:01:45
Samuel Smith
Um, uh, strong focus on Christ. Everything I do, I try to focus on him. And I've been able to do a lot of our interim pastoring around around here in the three county area and been able to preach for the past two years, pretty much every Sunday or at least every chance I got.
00:02:01
Christian McKenzie
good deal yeah yeah well that's wonderful you said you felt the call to ministry there was a specific ministry right that you want to go into or what do you do with that
00:02:03
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:02:16
Samuel Smith
Well. Yeah. ah It's one of those things I'm kind of feeling out what Christ has given me. He gave me a voice and that's for sure.
00:02:23
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:02:25
Samuel Smith
And that's something i necessarily never thought I would have.
00:02:26
Christian McKenzie
Wow. Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:02:28
Samuel Smith
I got the actually actually got the opportunity to preach for one of my high school teachers. And she came up to me after I preached. And she said, i would never thought the kid that sat in my class all year and didn't say a single word would ever be able to get up in front of people and speak like that.
00:02:45
Christian McKenzie
wow yeah
00:02:45
Samuel Smith
And that kind of hit home because throughout high school, I was so focused on myself and keeping myself away from everyone else that I wasn't, there's zero outreach.
00:02:57
Samuel Smith
I wasn't being ah good disciple of Christ because I wasn't willing to talk to others.
00:02:57
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:03:03
Samuel Smith
I was just so, if I don't talk to them, then they can't influence me and I won't do the wrong things.
00:03:03
Christian McKenzie
right
00:03:08
Samuel Smith
And that's just kind of where I sat and I stayed and I was like, I didn't want any part of it.
00:03:12
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:03:13
Samuel Smith
And that was in the time period where I was saying, no, am I called ministry and know the God for years until I accepted that calling.
00:03:25
Christian McKenzie
Wow. Yeah. I've been there too.
00:03:26
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:03:27
Samuel Smith
Mm hmm.
00:03:28
Christian McKenzie
I ran from the call for years.
00:03:30
Christian McKenzie
Uh,
00:03:30
Samuel Smith
Mm
00:03:30
Christian McKenzie
And I wanted to go into a specific ministry. I wanted to go and and become a missionary.
00:03:34
Samuel Smith
hmm.
00:03:38
Christian McKenzie
was like, God, put me in the game.
00:03:38
Samuel Smith
Mm hmm.
00:03:40
Christian McKenzie
If you're going put me in the game, send me over overseas. Please, please, please don't make me a pastor. And here I am today.
00:03:51
Christian McKenzie
I'm a pastor. So it's good to...
00:03:54
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:03:55
Christian McKenzie
say, you know, God, wherever you lead, I will follow. Because if you tell them where you're going to go, he might take you to the place you said you didn't want to.
00:04:02
Samuel Smith
Yeah. Yeah.
00:04:06
Christian McKenzie
But I like the topic that you picked out for for this episode, focus.
00:04:09
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:04:12
Christian McKenzie
I think that's something that yeah we as Christians really need to have in a very specific focus.
00:04:17
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:04:19
Christian McKenzie
And I think you're going to hit on a lot of really good points as we we talk through this
00:04:23
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:04:25
Christian McKenzie
But you were talking about your focus as a Christian before you answered the call.
00:04:29
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:04:32
Christian McKenzie
The focus was on you. The focus was maybe your fear of being influenced or you know whatever else kept you from answering that call and using your voice.
00:04:34
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:04:46
Christian McKenzie
So go ahead and and tell us a little bit about the passage that that you want to look at tonight and and tell us about this focus that we need to have.
Focusing on Christ in Daily Life
00:04:56
Samuel Smith
um It's Matthew p chapter 14 and it's verses 22 through 33. And I'm not going to read all the way through it. I'm going to break it up a little bit as we go through it. But it this set of scripture in itself is when Peter walks on water, steps out of the boat and is focused on Christ. And then as soon as he loses focus and worries about the things around him, he begins to drown.
00:05:21
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:05:21
Samuel Smith
But we'll get touched on that as we get into it.
00:05:22
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:05:25
Samuel Smith
But what of the questions I wanted to bring to the table when I wrote this down because I thought it was so important is why should we have a focus on Christ and maybe get your input on it and why you have a focus on Christ and why you think that's a good idea and why I think it's a good idea.
00:05:42
Samuel Smith
But ah I'll start us out, I guess. And why is it such an important thing to have a focus on Christ? And the first thing that comes to my head is just like I said a while ago.
00:05:54
Samuel Smith
i now have gifts and I now have abilities that I never thought I would have. You look at, um, through, throughout the scripture, you see people that were transformed and changed into something that they never thought they would be or never thought they could be because they focused so much on themselves, but then transition their focus to Christ.
00:05:59
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:06:15
Samuel Smith
They're no longer limited by the confines of themselves because
00:06:15
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:06:19
Samuel Smith
Now you are not walking alone. You're walking with Christ in his will, doing the things that he wants you to do. And that's what I think is such an important thing to have a strict focus on Christ in everything.
00:06:25
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:06:31
Samuel Smith
So oftentimes we set differences. These are God things and these are me things, or these are family things, or these are job things, or these are financial things. When in reality, they're all God things.
00:06:42
Samuel Smith
And we lose sight of that.
00:06:42
Christian McKenzie
Right. Yeah, definitely. Well, I know too, man, when I focus on Christ, I can do the things that it calls me to do.
00:06:48
Samuel Smith
Mm hmm.
00:06:54
Christian McKenzie
It's when I lose my focus.
00:06:54
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:06:56
Christian McKenzie
I realize how inadequate and how small I am compared to the calling he's given me. And it makes it difficult. Like ah as a pastor, I've got to deal with people a lot.
00:07:07
Christian McKenzie
And I realize how inadequate I can be at that when my focus is on my skills and my abilities outside of Christ. and And, you know, it can go from someone getting mad at me I'm like, man,
00:07:22
Christian McKenzie
They just hate me. And then all a sudden that sinks into my head.
00:07:24
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:07:26
Christian McKenzie
And then all sort of a sudden like, I'm just a horrible pastor, you know.
00:07:26
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:07:30
Christian McKenzie
But when I keep my focus on Christ, man, the waves can be everywhere. But, you know, I kind of, he keeps me calm. He keeps me centered.
00:07:41
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:07:41
Christian McKenzie
And I realize that the big things of this world that are big to me are really small in comparison to what he can do through me. so So that's what I think about focus too. Okay.
00:07:54
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:07:57
Samuel Smith
Well, I guess we could transition here into the first set scripture. I want to read verses 22 and 23. And I'm going to start that out the gate because I feel like it's something that's very important that gets skipped over a lot of times.
00:08:11
Samuel Smith
But. Verses 22 and 23. Immediately, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to do or to the other side while he sent the multitudes away.
00:08:24
Samuel Smith
And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. Now, when evening came, he was there.
00:08:34
Samuel Smith
And so often times we say, well, Christ called me to speak to people. Christ called me to go out towards people and be around people all the time and do all the things. But you see Jesus here understanding he's speaking and preaching and teaching to the multitudes.
00:08:52
Samuel Smith
I mean, this is probably thousands of people at this time that he's being able to influence and teach and build their faith. But he makes the decision to send them all away. Because he wants alone time with God.
00:09:06
Samuel Smith
He wants alone time with his father to pray. And he's doing this specifically to show us that, yes, you do need to preach to the multitudes. You do need to speak out.
00:09:17
Samuel Smith
But you also need to take time to build with yourself up. And so oftentimes when people say the statement waiting on God, they take waiting on God as in taking a seat back and waiting for God to do everything.
00:09:22
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:09:27
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:09:33
Samuel Smith
Rather than, hey, I'm going to pray.
00:09:33
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:09:35
Samuel Smith
I'm going to read my scriptures. I'm going to build myself up while I'm here waiting.
00:09:39
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:09:40
Samuel Smith
I like to use the illustration of a waiter or a waitress. When they wait on you, they're there asking you, hey, you want your tea glass spilled? Or, hey, can I take that out of your way? They're waiting on you, but they're not taking a seat across the dining room, sitting there waiting for you to get your meal done and finish your drink.
00:09:58
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:09:59
Samuel Smith
And then when you walk away and leave, they're
00:09:59
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:10:03
Samuel Smith
being attentive. If they're being there, they're being focused on you because that's their job. And that's our job as Christians is to wait on God, focus on him, see what he needs us to do as we're going through our daily lives. But the only way we can do that is in contact with him.
00:10:19
Christian McKenzie
Yeah, yeah. And that's that's a really interesting way of looking it. don't think a lot of people think about that.
00:10:24
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:10:27
Christian McKenzie
And I think a lot of people look at that first version of waiting that you were talking about, like, well, um I'm going to wait on God.
00:10:31
Samuel Smith
yeah
00:10:34
Christian McKenzie
And you sit back and kick your feet up and say, all right, get to it, God, get it done.
00:10:34
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:10:39
Samuel Smith
yeah yeah
00:10:41
Christian McKenzie
But i think I think you're completely right on that, that waiting on God isn't just a uh a passive thing that we do uh it's something that that we have to be active in at the same time and and uh you know i can't tell you how many times i think i've just said well you know i'm gonna wait on god and i did nothing about anything at that time in my life i just yeah you know god will open the doors well
00:11:06
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:11:15
Christian McKenzie
yeah but the doors are closed maybe we need the sweep and you know uh but yeah oh man that's that's a good good analogy right there talking about a waiter or a waitress yeah definitely and we do we do need to uh take those moments and spend some alone time with god while we're waiting on him as you said you know read the bible uh pray talk to him uh
00:11:18
Samuel Smith
Yeah. Yeah.
00:11:24
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:11:45
Christian McKenzie
you know, maybe he's calling you to sit still in that area to do something else, you know, right over there.
00:11:49
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:11:52
Christian McKenzie
And, uh, yeah, that's, that's, that's pretty awesome. I don't think I've ever heard anyone really put it that way. So,
00:11:58
Samuel Smith
I can't remember who I heard someone say it and it just really stuck with me. that
Fear, Faith, and Spiritual Discipline
00:12:03
Christian McKenzie
oh yeah, that's
00:12:03
Samuel Smith
was one of those things that I just, i was like, well, shoot, why haven't I been looking at it?
00:12:09
Samuel Smith
or,
00:12:09
Christian McKenzie
right.
00:12:09
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:12:09
Samuel Smith
yeah
00:12:12
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:12:12
Samuel Smith
but that was just one of those things of, well, in the moments while I have nothing else to do, why am I not focused on him? Because in those slumps, you tend to, well, I ain't got nothing else to do.
00:12:21
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:12:25
Samuel Smith
i guess I can start doing the things I want to do or, and then you end up getting yourself in trouble.
00:12:28
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:12:32
Samuel Smith
And the question that came to my mind is, well, what does focusing on him look like? What, what is, in that depth of focus on him you see jesus in his walk on earth constantly talking and praying to his father and you see the disciples lacking in it so when uh he went to pray and then he came back to disciples and all of them were sleeping you know what i mean you see he just had a longing to focus on his father and be ah with his father and pray to his father and be in that constant communication but us as
00:12:54
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:13:06
Samuel Smith
humans and christians that sinful nature we have, we don't have that longing focus on him because it's either all about us or it's all about something else.
00:13:12
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:13:17
Samuel Smith
And so oftentimes, especially in day's world, it falls into, well, I've got to um' got to go to work. I've got to have this done. I've got to have this done. And you wake up in the mornings and you don't read your Bible first. You look at your phone or you're late already and you're rushing at the door and you forget to pray before you go to bed and you forget to pray before you eat your food.
00:13:38
Samuel Smith
And there's no longing to focus on Christ. And that's a personal thing that I fight with of, well, I've got to hurry up.
00:13:41
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:13:45
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:13:47
Samuel Smith
i'm I'm in a rush. i don't have time. And then i think back to this one thing, which ah there's a man named Chris Wells.
00:13:50
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:13:54
Samuel Smith
He's the chaplain for the Bassmaster series. And me and him grew up I pretty much grew up around on Chris and he is a great evangelist. And one of his things was, or one of favorite things to say was, well, if you're too busy for God and you're busier than God made you to be and God doesn't make those mistakes.
00:14:14
Christian McKenzie
Yeah, yeah.
00:14:14
Samuel Smith
So oftentimes we, we say a ourselves are too busy and we don't have those moments to give, but in reality, we're just finding things to fill the gaps where Christ is supposed to be.
00:14:18
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:14:26
Christian McKenzie
Right. Wow. that's That's a good way to look at that.
00:14:29
Samuel Smith
Hmm.
00:14:31
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. and so And we do use that a lot, you know, getting, getting, I think too, as men, that's something that we have to watch out for, uh, because men are, are really busy bodies a lot of times.
00:14:35
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:14:44
Christian McKenzie
And, uh, I think that might be one of the reasons for declining and, uh, men that are active in their faith well, you know, I gotta do this.
00:14:54
Christian McKenzie
I gotta do that. I just don't got time to, to, to get out. But, uh,
00:14:59
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:14:59
Christian McKenzie
you know, if you're too busy for God, then you're busier than you were ever meant to be. And that's, that's, uh, yeah, that's another thing.
00:15:05
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:15:08
Christian McKenzie
I haven't heard of it that way. You're teaching me something several times tonight now.
00:15:10
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:15:12
Christian McKenzie
So yeah, that's good. That's good.
00:15:19
Samuel Smith
But next was going to read was 24 through 26. And says.
00:15:25
Samuel Smith
ah it says But the boat was now in the middle of the sea tossed by the waves for the wind was contrary. Now, when the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went to them walking on the sea.
00:15:38
Samuel Smith
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled saying it's a ghost. And they cried out in fear.
00:15:47
Samuel Smith
That is such a funny thing to me of them
00:15:51
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:15:53
Samuel Smith
late at night and they're getting tossed and turned. And the only thing they can think of that's possibly walking across the water is it's a ghost.
00:16:01
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:16:02
Samuel Smith
And you see, they're not focused on God at all.
00:16:02
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:16:07
Samuel Smith
They're focused on the ways he's getting tossed and turned. They're focused on, they're going to die. They're going to drown. No one's going to save them. But these same people, In Matthew chapter eight, we're in the same situation when Jesus was asleep on the lower decks and he called them up and he said, let the, he said, with a voice, the wind ceased.
00:16:27
Samuel Smith
They already saw the power, but they're just so troubled and so feared that they have no sight of God.
00:16:27
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:16:32
Samuel Smith
When they see Jesus himself, they call him a ghost because they ain't looking for Jesus. They're looking for everything else that's fearful around them. And that's just really funny.
00:16:41
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:16:42
Samuel Smith
Part of that text to me is it is a ghost.
00:16:47
Christian McKenzie
yeah well man and and I feel bad for the disciples sometimes because they were going through some strange things their whole world was being turned upside down like you know ah you know
00:16:48
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:16:56
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:17:01
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:17:05
Christian McKenzie
feeding of the 5,000, which happened, you know, shortly before this point. ah You know, Jesus had already already fed 4,000 before this. And they're, well, how do we feed all these people, Jesus?
00:17:15
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:17:18
Samuel Smith
yeah Yeah.
00:17:19
Christian McKenzie
but yeah Come on, guys.
00:17:21
Samuel Smith
i
00:17:21
Christian McKenzie
Y'all saw that. Didn't y'all before?
00:17:23
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:17:24
Christian McKenzie
And all the things they saw.
00:17:28
Samuel Smith
yeah
00:17:28
Christian McKenzie
We can get mad at them and we can make fun of them all day, but would probably have been very similar a lot of different periods.
00:17:31
Samuel Smith
Yeah. yeah
00:17:36
Christian McKenzie
But fear, think, makes us forget a lot of different things.
00:17:43
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:17:45
Christian McKenzie
You know, fear makes me forget that if God is for me, who can stand against me? Fear...
00:17:58
Christian McKenzie
keeps me from doing my best. Like as a pastor, there's, there's fear, uh, you know, fear that if I say something one way, I'm going to lose this person or fear of, uh, offending someone. Uh, and then before too long, you just can't preach a sermon at all.
00:18:16
Christian McKenzie
You just got scratch the news, uh, by that point.
00:18:17
Samuel Smith
yeah
00:18:20
Christian McKenzie
Uh, and, and, you forget that you're supposed to preach boldly and preach the truth and not for the sense of offending someone, but if they're offended, they've got to take up
00:18:26
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:18:36
Christian McKenzie
that offense with God and say, you know, well, he, he was reading the word of God and explaining your word, God, uh, you know, so maybe there's something in my life that needs to change.
00:18:49
Christian McKenzie
And so the fear makes you forget and, and how often they, they forgot because they focused on that fear. And it's the same way us too.
00:18:59
Samuel Smith
Yeah. Yeah.
00:19:01
Christian McKenzie
Uh, You know, we can see the power of God time and time and time again in our lives. And fear can cause us to forget what we've already seen.
00:19:13
Samuel Smith
But like like we you just stated, it's the shift of focus of when you start focusing and worrying about everything else. then God becomes the last thing that you're focused on and there's the last thing you're worried about.
00:19:28
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:19:29
Samuel Smith
One of my favorite sets of scripture says, who by worry can add one cubit to their stature.
00:19:34
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:19:35
Samuel Smith
So oftentimes we're worried about everything and we're focused on everything else. And we're like, God, you're not going to take care of me. that Everything's piling up and getting to a place where I can't be with you anymore because I'm so busy and I'm so overwhelmed and I'm just going to have to take a step back.
00:19:52
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:19:52
Samuel Smith
But, we put everything before God instead of putting everything after God. And if we're focused completely on him, then everything else will fall into place behind.
00:19:58
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:20:04
Samuel Smith
And once you put that focus on him and truly make him Lord of your life, so oftentimes people say, I'm a Christian, but they've never truly made him Lord because they will have to focus on him as a Lord.
00:20:04
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:20:16
Samuel Smith
Because we are called to be servants to Christ and none of us hardly live like servants.
00:20:16
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:20:22
Samuel Smith
We live like we're the master and he's the guy that we hang out with.
00:20:22
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:20:26
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:20:27
Samuel Smith
And we use him as, yeah, we, we, we don't, we don't, we don't, we don't understand our relationship or our bond with Christ.
00:20:28
Christian McKenzie
Yeah, it became... Yeah, it was a little teeny. Yeah.
00:20:37
Samuel Smith
We get it altered and flipped around because our focus isn't on him as Lord.
00:20:40
Christian McKenzie
Yeah,
00:20:42
Samuel Smith
Our focus is on him as some hippie dippy dude who says some really good things.
00:20:48
Christian McKenzie
yeah. yeah
00:20:49
Samuel Smith
Um, and, I mean, you even see that in people. Like I was talking to a kid at our camp, Katis, and I was like, hey, man, you got a Bible? Because I was going around making sure everyone had Bibles and he said, yeah, I've got a Bible.
00:21:02
Samuel Smith
I'll leave it at church, though. So I ain't got it with me. And I was like, well, why do you leave it at church?
00:21:06
Christian McKenzie
wow
00:21:08
Samuel Smith
And he goes, well, that's that's the only place I need it. And I was I tried to explain to him, but he he just didn't really catch on of how important truly it is to have a Bible.
00:21:21
Samuel Smith
Because if I don't have a question I can't answer, this is full of answers in answers to questions that I haven't even seen yet and answers to issues that I haven't even seen yet.
00:21:21
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:21:27
Christian McKenzie
Right. Yeah.
00:21:33
Samuel Smith
And this is a big part of our focus on Christ is the Bible, because we need to read it because it's.
00:21:37
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:21:40
Samuel Smith
living examples and living truths of the things we are to do and things that we are to encounter. There's so many promises in here that we are to hold to, but if you haven't read them, then you can't hold to them because you don't know.
00:21:53
Christian McKenzie
Right. Yeah. I heard a joke one time that was pretty funny about Bibles.
00:21:58
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:21:58
Christian McKenzie
And at least this kid was honest. You know, it makes it easier to talk to But how many people have a Bible at home?
00:22:03
Samuel Smith
yeah
00:22:07
Christian McKenzie
And then you ask them to read it. And they don't. Like, you know, a preacher is saying, all right, we're going to be in church.
00:22:14
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:22:19
Christian McKenzie
Mark chapter 17 next week. So y'all read ahead and then goes up and says, who read Mark 17?
00:22:22
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:22:26
Christian McKenzie
And half the congregation raises their hand and said, all right, we'll go ahead and turn there.
00:22:28
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:22:32
Christian McKenzie
And then there's no Mark 17 or even the one about the family that had a pastor come over to their house for dinner. and And then after the pastor left, it was a good dinner, but the wife is like, well, something strange worked.
00:22:48
Christian McKenzie
We're missing a couple spoons. And I think the pastor stole our spoon.
00:22:51
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:22:56
Christian McKenzie
No, honey, that's there's no way. But the wife just kept thinking about this pastor that stole the spoon and swore, you know, was his spoon. His spoon was the one that was missing.
00:23:08
Christian McKenzie
Well, they invite him over and it's another good dinner. And the woman just can't hold back anymore. She has to ask, Pastor, I think he stole my spoon last time. And I'm trying to understand that.
00:23:22
Christian McKenzie
And he said, oh okay. You haven't found it yet. Why don't you go open up your Bible? And then sure enough, he opens up the Bible and the spoons and the Bible.
00:23:30
Samuel Smith
yeah
00:23:32
Christian McKenzie
And I think that is why we can't get over fear a lot. Because the more I read God's word, the more I realize don't have much to fear.
00:23:45
Samuel Smith
No, and that's awesome.
00:23:48
Christian McKenzie
Yeah, and that like, I mean, the times, and actually I can look at the times where I have the most anxiety, the most fear over things, and I can say, man, have I even like stopped and calmed down for a second today and just opened up the Bible?
00:24:06
Christian McKenzie
And the answer every time is no. I'm like, man, there's the prescription that we need.
00:24:09
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:24:13
Christian McKenzie
There's the cure to our fear because, you know, Scripture tells us that he hasn't given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of a sound mind.
00:24:13
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:24:20
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:24:22
Christian McKenzie
And that's what we have when we we have our focus on Jesus.
00:24:26
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:24:28
Christian McKenzie
You know, there's that thing that Paul says, too, in Philippians chapter 4, somewhere right in there, where he says, focus on those things that are praiseworthy those things that are notable and of good report ah focus on those things and the peace of God will be with you and how often do we focus on you know the the big storm that seems to be crashing in the the politics the the um
00:24:44
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:24:47
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:24:49
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:25:02
Christian McKenzie
wars that are going on, everything thats that's on the news, flip through TikTok and and the Instagram or whatever, the things that make the biggest impression and get the most views are the most negative things.
00:25:17
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:25:17
Christian McKenzie
They call it rage-baiting. My wife has to tell me every once in a while not to fall into that trap.
00:25:20
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:25:24
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:25:24
Christian McKenzie
but It does. It has a complete It really affects your mood and how you go about your life. And so when you focus the negative, when you focus on the world, when you focus on yourself, when focus on your fear, whatever you focus on, that's not Jesus.
00:25:43
Christian McKenzie
It just doesn't turn out good, does it?
00:25:45
Samuel Smith
No. And I feel like that's because when you focus on whatever it is, that becomes your Lord, whether it be yourself or it be your fear.
00:25:52
Christian McKenzie
to
00:25:55
Samuel Smith
And that's what you're controlled by. And so oftentimes, especially non-Christians will come up to me and be like, well, live free because I'm not bound to anyone. not I don't have to obey your God's rules, but they don't understand that they're a slave to something else, whatever that might be, whether it be themselves.
00:26:07
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
Freedom in Christ vs. Worldly Freedom
00:26:13
Samuel Smith
But, the thing that I would have to tell them is they've never experienced free will because they've never experienced a free love or ability to live without fear of death or the ability to know what to tomorrow holds and tomorrow holds Christ for me, whatever it might be.
00:26:32
Samuel Smith
i know I'm going to be good today, tomorrow and always because to live is Christ and to die is gain.
00:26:36
Christian McKenzie
but
00:26:38
Christian McKenzie
I was just thinking that. Yeah.
00:26:40
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:26:41
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:26:41
Samuel Smith
But Yeah, you're talking about the the shift of focus. So oftentimes there's an old saying, and you might have heard this one is, don't tell ah your God how big the storm is, tell the storm how big your God is.
00:26:55
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:26:55
Samuel Smith
And so oftentimes we get those flip-flopped of, God, I'm going through it right now.
00:26:56
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:27:00
Samuel Smith
I'm having this horrible time. I'm doing, there's so many things coming at me and I'm feeling overwhelmed. It's because you're focusing on those things rather than focusing on God.
00:27:11
Samuel Smith
Because you wouldn't truly have anxiety.
00:27:12
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:27:14
Samuel Smith
You wouldn't truly have fear if the forefront of your focus was on God, no matter what.
00:27:20
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:27:21
Samuel Smith
Because you can't threaten a Christian with anything.
00:27:21
Christian McKenzie
Yes.
00:27:24
Samuel Smith
You know, you're going to kill me.
00:27:24
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:27:25
Samuel Smith
Okay. I've got heaven. You know, there's nothing that you can put before me that will bring fear into my life because Christ already took all the fear from me.
00:27:28
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:27:35
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:27:36
Samuel Smith
And.
00:27:37
Christian McKenzie
And i'm a I'm a first responder. I work with the ah
00:27:40
Samuel Smith
Mm hmm.
00:27:41
Christian McKenzie
volunteer fire department out here let me tell you that keeps me busy sometimes but you know you get put in some some strange situations every once in a while but I've come to this conclusion I'm either going home or I'm going home and either way I'm going home at the end of the day one home is here in this world I go home to my wife and my kids
00:27:55
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:27:58
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:28:04
Christian McKenzie
Or I go home to my true home to be with Jesus, to live as Christ, to die as gain.
00:28:07
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:28:10
Christian McKenzie
I think someone that that we really see a lot of fear in in the Bible, too, who just popped up in my head, Elijah in the book of Kings, 1 Kings, where you know he's doing what God called him to do.
00:28:26
Christian McKenzie
He's focused on God. He's living in this time where this woman named Jezebel is killing all of the prophets.
00:28:33
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:28:34
Christian McKenzie
And then he challenges these prophets of Baal. And, you know, it's that place at Mount Carmel where he says, whoever's God sends fire when we call upon him.
00:28:44
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:28:49
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:28:50
Christian McKenzie
That is the Lord God of Israel. And Baal didn't answer. God did. Huge victory. God sent fire from the sky, licked up that altar that he built.
00:29:00
Christian McKenzie
Awesome time of victory. You see the power of God there. And you think, man, nothing's going to shake this dude, Elijah. But then Jezebel says, man, I'm going to kill this dude.
00:29:08
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:29:13
Christian McKenzie
And he runs to a cave and he hides in this cave and he repeats the same phrase over and over.
00:29:15
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:29:19
Christian McKenzie
When God says, what are you doing here?
00:29:23
Christian McKenzie
I'm zealous for the Lord God of Israel. But I'm the only dude left. I'm the only prophet left. And they want to kill me. Okay.
00:29:34
Christian McKenzie
And then all these things happen to this mountain he's in. Big events.
00:29:38
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:29:39
Christian McKenzie
And then a still small voice of God. What are you doing here? Man, I'm zealous for you, God. I want to do good things for you, God. But they're trying to kill me. And then God says, well, I've got this plan.
00:29:49
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:29:53
Christian McKenzie
This dude, this woman. and all these other troublemakers around you, I'm taking them off the map. I'm wiping them out.
00:30:00
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:30:02
Christian McKenzie
And I'm going to take care of these problems. And as for being alone, I want you to meet this other dude named Elisha, which is very confusing when you read that part of Elisha.
00:30:11
Samuel Smith
Yeah, yes. Yes.
00:30:14
Christian McKenzie
But, you know, he focused on that fear when when Jezebel said, I'm going to kill you. Instead of focusing on the power of God and the call of God.
00:30:25
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:30:26
Christian McKenzie
And it led him to dwell in a cave and cower in fear. And he was useless in that cave. he couldn't He couldn't do really anything for God in that cave.
00:30:40
Christian McKenzie
And that's why God was calling him out of the cave. And I think we can get there a lot when we when we lose focus. is We can become these like cave-dwelling Christians, so to say.
00:30:52
Samuel Smith
Yes. Well, I mean, you can see that in ah in a person that not really talked about in a very good kind of light is Judas.
00:31:02
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:31:02
Samuel Smith
You look where his focus was at.
00:31:05
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:31:06
Samuel Smith
And I mean, he denied Christ. He renounced Christ. He went against Christ. But even after that, ah God still offers repentance. But he said, no, I'm not good enough. I'm not this. He's so focused on himself. And then he ended up taking his own life.
00:31:22
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:31:23
Samuel Smith
Look at the other disciples that said they scattered, but they came back.
00:31:26
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:31:30
Samuel Smith
because they were focused not on themselves, but rather on Christ.
00:31:30
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:31:33
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:31:34
Samuel Smith
And they weren't focused on where everything's going bad.
00:31:35
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:31:37
Samuel Smith
Everything's falling apart. The whole world was going down on me. They said, well, we scattered. And then Jesus came and said, Hey, I'm back. What y'all going do about it?
00:31:48
Samuel Smith
And then you see all of them or most of them die for Christ.
00:31:49
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:31:56
Samuel Smith
And only Christ. They get stoned. They get crucified. They were willing to go wherever it took them because Christ called them to go to those places. And I don't think we have that sense of sacrifice towards Christ.
00:32:07
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:32:13
Samuel Smith
Ephesians chapter 6 verse 20 calls us to be ambassadors in chains.
00:32:13
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:32:19
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:32:20
Samuel Smith
Meaning that we're bound to Christ to be an ambassador for him. because of what he did for us.
00:32:26
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:32:28
Samuel Smith
But we don't see it that way. We don't see us bound to the end for Christ. We see it. Well, when I can, or when I want to, or when there's a really good opportunity, I might, no one has that importance.
00:32:42
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:32:46
Samuel Smith
They don't put the importance or the emphasis on Christ.
00:32:49
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. um Well, and I think too, one thing we get to in that is, is the idea of being a bond servant, a slave or submitting is very unpopular in our society today.
00:32:58
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yes.
00:33:04
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm. Very.
00:33:05
Christian McKenzie
ah
00:33:06
Samuel Smith
Very.
00:33:06
Christian McKenzie
We're taught to do what makes us happy. Follow your desires.
00:33:10
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:33:11
Christian McKenzie
Or I've heard people say, follow your heart. And I'll say, no, don't follow your heart.
00:33:15
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:33:16
Christian McKenzie
Your heart will lead you astray. Um, And so when you focus on yourself, your desires, your heart, or what the world wants you to do, you're always going to be let down.
00:33:27
Christian McKenzie
But when you focus on who you are, and it's not a bad thing to be bound to Christ.
00:33:33
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:33:35
Christian McKenzie
If we've got to be bound to something, ah let's be bound to Christ because you know what you're bound to if you're not bound to Christ. You're bound to your sin, which leads death.
00:33:44
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:33:44
Christian McKenzie
yeah and And not just this physical death, but an eternal death, an eternal separation from Christ.
00:33:46
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:33:52
Christian McKenzie
And, you know, and and that's where, you know, I think it was Paul that and wrote about that, where he said, you know, if you're gonna be bound to something, be bound to Christ. You know, of of all the things you can be bound to, be bound to Christ and submit to him.
00:34:08
Christian McKenzie
Because when you submit to him, he's not a bully.
00:34:09
Samuel Smith
so
00:34:11
Christian McKenzie
oh you know, ah words we're reading through 1 Peter here. We just finished 1 Peter chapter 5 where, you know, where you humble yourself under God's hand.
00:34:26
Christian McKenzie
And what does he do with you then? He doesn't push you further into the dirt. He exalts you. And that's what it means to be bound to Christ and and to serve him and to submit to him.
00:34:41
Christian McKenzie
is that he lifts us up to places that we couldn't go on own. I am a servant of Christ. That is the term really for any person in the ministry, in every Christian.
00:34:50
Samuel Smith
Yes.
00:34:54
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:34:55
Christian McKenzie
We are servants of Christ.
00:34:56
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:34:57
Christian McKenzie
And when we serve Christ, he calls us to something that we cannot do, something that only he can do through us.
00:35:03
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:35:05
Christian McKenzie
And he exalts us in that way.
00:35:08
Samuel Smith
You see Peter and John says they marveled at them because they were uneducated and untrained.
00:35:14
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:35:15
Samuel Smith
And that was why scribes and the teachers of that time marveled at them because they were in disbelief. Because these two guys that shouldn't be be able to speak this way or say these things or speak with such exuberant language and influence so many people and they couldn't.
00:35:35
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:35:35
Samuel Smith
That's what they didn't understand. They couldn't. They weren't. But Christ was.
00:35:40
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:35:41
Samuel Smith
And it goes on and it says, scripture to say Then they realized that they had been with Jesus.
00:35:47
Christian McKenzie
Yeah, exactly.
00:35:48
Samuel Smith
And that's that's the realization of, oh, that's what makes them different. That's what makes them ah able to do the things that they do. That's what makes me able to do the things that I can do, is because of Jesus and only Jesus.
00:36:04
Christian McKenzie
Right. Yeah.
00:36:05
Samuel Smith
ah Next to the scripture I got is 27 through 29 And it says But immediately Jesus spoke to them saying be of good cheer it is i do not be afraid and Peter answered and said Lord if it is you command me to come To you on the water and he said come Then or when Peter had come out or come down out of the boat he walked on the water to go to Jesus Peter here shows a great focus on Christ.
00:36:38
Samuel Smith
He says, Lord, if it is you, if it be your will, call me and I'll come. Peter didn't jump out of the boat and start running to Jesus. Peter said, if it be you, if it is you, Lord, call me and I'll come.
00:36:53
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:36:53
Samuel Smith
And I think that's so oftentimes we get gun happy or we get trigger happy. Um, And we try to either jump ahead of Christ or like i we stated a while ago, get comfortable in the waiting on Christ and we just hang back and we wait even longer.
00:37:12
Samuel Smith
And then the opportunity that Christ put before us is gone.
00:37:19
Samuel Smith
But Peter shows such an importance of, hey, if you want me to come, I'll come. And then it says, then he went down and he started walking on water.
00:37:31
Samuel Smith
And he's focused on Christ.
00:37:31
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:37:33
Samuel Smith
And only Christ at this time. His will to come to him. And this is what is allowing him to walk on water.
00:37:40
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:37:41
Samuel Smith
You see extreme focus of Peter. In this text. And then it. 180's in the next scripture.
00:37:52
Samuel Smith
Verses 30 through 33. Or I'm going to. I'm going to 30 and 31.
00:37:57
Christian McKenzie
OK.
00:37:57
Samuel Smith
But when he saw. that the wind was boisterous. He was afraid and began to sink and cried out saying, Lord, save me.
00:38:09
Samuel Smith
And I think that's important too right there because he says ah he was focused on everything else. He began to sink, but then he was still had the mindset and the focus of, well, who can save me?
00:38:21
Samuel Smith
He's not crying out to the other disciples saying, throw out a life ring to catch me or throw out,
00:38:22
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:38:27
Samuel Smith
Something that I can be bowing on to help me float. Or when y'all swim me out here and get me, he says, Lord, save me.
00:38:34
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:38:34
Samuel Smith
And then verse 31.
00:38:35
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:38:36
Samuel Smith
And immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him and said to him, oh, you of little faith, why do you doubt?
00:38:49
Samuel Smith
Peter, throughout this whole time, was showing focus, said for a brief moment, where he lost focus completely and sank and then of immediately regrained, Lord, save me.
00:39:03
Samuel Smith
And Jesus grabbed him and saved him.
00:39:05
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:39:06
Samuel Smith
But so oftentimes it's that little moment where we lose focus that drowned us so much. So, because when we lose focus for that little bit, we start to drown.
00:39:17
Samuel Smith
We don't cry out for God.
00:39:19
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:39:19
Samuel Smith
We cry out for our own understanding and our people around us, maybe our family or our wives or children to bring us back up.
Personal Stories of Spiritual Focus
00:39:28
Samuel Smith
And we don't call on Christ because so oftentimes we don't see him as that board that Peter did.
00:39:28
Christian McKenzie
Right. Mm-hmm.
00:39:34
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Well,
00:39:36
Samuel Smith
We don't see him in that light.
00:39:39
Christian McKenzie
and when we call them sometimes, all the other people around us to save us, a lot of times what we do is we drag them down with us because they don't have the, like my wife, I love her to death.
00:39:43
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:39:48
Samuel Smith
Yes.
00:39:51
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:39:54
Christian McKenzie
she's She's the smartest person I know.
00:39:58
Christian McKenzie
But there's only so much that she can do for me. if i'm relying on her abilities and the more i draw on her the more it's going to bring her to where i'm at if we're not both focused on christ uh now course might use her to get me out of the funk for sure but but uh man you know there there's a something that happened in my life where where i lost focus uh and here's a message for all you college kids out there
00:40:15
Samuel Smith
Yes. Yes.
00:40:30
Christian McKenzie
I went to college and man, I was walking the straight and narrow when I started. I was going to Bible studies. I was a part of the BCM, the Baptist campus ministries. I was taking people to church with me and getting involved in church where I was going to college in Murray.
00:40:50
Christian McKenzie
and ah just i mean I was doing what what God had called me to do and it was good. I was having a wonderful time. But then someone said, well, take a drink.
00:41:05
Christian McKenzie
I don't know. I can't do that. And I refused several times. I was telling myself I could go to these different areas and resist temptation because I was so strong, you know. But it took one moment where I took my focus off Christ and someone said, here's the drink.
00:41:26
Christian McKenzie
And then before I knew it, I was just partying for the rest of that semester.
00:41:30
Samuel Smith
yeah
00:41:31
Christian McKenzie
Um, and it was, you know, I was miserable in it. And I thought if I could just go to another party, I would get happier, but it was just miserable. Uh, but the moment I said, Jesus, get me out of this.
00:41:45
Christian McKenzie
I, I'm, I'm sinking. I'm drowning here. I don't know why I'm at where I'm at. It was because I lost focus. And so ah I can tell you that the moment that it was a pretty funny moment, actually, looking back it.
00:42:02
Christian McKenzie
It wasn't funny in the moment, but it was funny now.
00:42:03
Samuel Smith
Yeah, no
00:42:06
Christian McKenzie
Because I went to a party. I was completely intoxicated. I walk out and this girl walks up to me. She said, hey, I know you.
00:42:19
Christian McKenzie
You're that Christian guy. Because she had seen me. maybe a month or two earlier, leading Bible studies on campus.
00:42:30
Samuel Smith
Yeah
00:42:32
Christian McKenzie
And I thought, man, that's cool. She knows who I'm yeah, that's me. And man, God punched me in the face with this girl. She said, i knew you were all hypocrites.
00:42:44
Christian McKenzie
I was like, oh, who does she think she is?
00:42:48
Samuel Smith
yeah
00:42:48
Christian McKenzie
So I went back into the party to drink more because I thought I could forget it. I become such a hindrance to my friends passing out on the floor, couldn't get anywhere. It was just awful.
00:43:01
Christian McKenzie
But instead of them taking care of me, I'm like, man, we just need to take him back to the dorms, throw him in there, and we can come back to the party. And so really good friends, might I add.
00:43:13
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:43:15
Christian McKenzie
I got wrapped up in my blankets when they threw me in the dorm. I couldn't move, which is a dangerous spot to be in. oh when you're intoxicated because if you get sick and you're laying on your back and you can't move you're going to affect I can't even say the word right now asphyxiate and you're going to die pretty much and I thought oh man God this is where I die this is it isn't it I went so far out of the way that I forgot who I was
00:43:30
Samuel Smith
Yep.
00:43:48
Christian McKenzie
Lost my focus. um um I don't even know what I'm doing right now. God, if I make it through the night, I got to get back on track. I got to focus on you.
00:44:00
Samuel Smith
yeah
00:44:01
Christian McKenzie
And let me tell you, I was completely out of my mind, intoxicated at that moment. But that moment, as I laid there in the bed, was the most sober I've ever been.
00:44:12
Christian McKenzie
And I didn't sleep a wink. I stayed there. I talked to God all night. And when morning came, all of a sudden I could move my limbs again.
00:44:25
Christian McKenzie
I got up and I said, right, refocus, focus on Jesus. I'm not doing that stuff anymore. And not to say I've never lost focus after that, but I've definitely not lost focus like that since then.
00:44:35
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:44:41
Samuel Smith
Yes. Yes.
00:44:43
Christian McKenzie
So,
00:44:44
Samuel Smith
And that's, like I said, it takes one moment to change the place that you're at. Peter was literally walking on water and then one moment of lost focus.
00:44:57
Samuel Smith
He was drowning. um
00:45:00
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:45:02
Samuel Smith
But even in those moments of, like you said, people kept coming up to you and necessarily yeah pressuring you into those situations. And that's the place I was at in high school of, well, I don't want to be in those situations.
00:45:21
Samuel Smith
I don't want to put myself in those situations. But what I was missing out on was the outreach to those people. So I don't want people to be afraid of those situations.
00:45:27
Christian McKenzie
Right. Right.
00:45:31
Samuel Smith
But when those situations do present themselves, say, hey, going to stay focused on God in these situations.
00:45:31
Christian McKenzie
right
00:45:39
Samuel Smith
They offer me a drink. I offer them a Bible, you know, or they offer me a drink. I offer them scripture back because God calls us to hide his words in our heart. So you should be able to quote some verses to them and tell them, hey, this is where I live.
00:45:52
Samuel Smith
This the things I do. I'll come to your party if you let me. teach people or you let me speak to people look at where Christ was look at where Jesus
Living as a Christian in the World
00:46:00
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm. Right. Right.
00:46:00
Samuel Smith
was in these times he wasn't you sitting back in a synagogue somewhere where the highest of highs would he was down in the barge necessarily you know that
00:46:11
Samuel Smith
the The brothels, he was preaching and then teaching the prostitutes and people that were disliked and people that no one wanted to be or even the near around.
00:46:11
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:46:19
Samuel Smith
You see him speaking to the leopards and touching leopards. And he was becoming unclean by doing this is what the people of that time were saying. But then now we look at it and it's touching the broken.
00:46:34
Samuel Smith
And he's the great physician.
00:46:34
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:46:35
Samuel Smith
We call him that because he heals the broken and he heals those that need healing. So as as Christians, we should look at that way, too, don't shelter yourself from these people.
00:46:42
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:46:48
Samuel Smith
Christ calls us to be separate, not isolated.
00:46:52
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:46:53
Samuel Smith
Separate is big, different than isolation.
00:46:56
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:46:56
Samuel Smith
I isolated myself for years and I wouldn't talk to anybody.
00:46:56
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:46:59
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:47:01
Samuel Smith
Separate means, hey, I'm in the midst of everybody, but that you can tell I'm different because of the way I carry myself, the way I do things.
00:47:06
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:47:10
Samuel Smith
um
00:47:11
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:47:11
Samuel Smith
Even in your speech, you're not talking like other people talk. You're not out there cussing the way other people talk. I work in the construction field. Everyone around me cusses.
00:47:22
Samuel Smith
They come up to me and ask me all the time, well, when you going to say a real cuss word, Sam? Because I'm out there going darn and frick. And they don't understand it.
00:47:30
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:47:31
Samuel Smith
And they're like, why in the world are you saying these things? Why aren't you acting like us? And I've had multiple, multiple people come up to me and say, well, don't believe that you don't cuss.
00:47:41
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:47:42
Samuel Smith
Then they're around me and they see it. It's a difference in just the way you carry yourself and the way you act. Because you're focused on God rather than focused on Being in the it crowd, being with the people you want to be with or being the type of person that the world is wanting you to be or conforming to what the world wants you to be.
00:48:03
Samuel Smith
And
00:48:04
Christian McKenzie
Right. Yeah.
00:48:07
Samuel Smith
Jesus is.
00:48:09
Christian McKenzie
Oh, go ahead.
00:48:09
Samuel Smith
Oh, you're good.
00:48:09
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:48:10
Samuel Smith
You're good. You got it. Hmm.
00:48:12
Christian McKenzie
oh Yeah. Well, ill you know, think too, when, when we do that, you know, there's, there is that big difference between, uh, isolation and being separate.
00:48:24
Christian McKenzie
And, uh, we, we've gotta be, we gotta be careful in each of those categories. We go when we isolate ourselves from people, we can't reach people. Uh, but when we, when we,
00:48:38
Christian McKenzie
go to those people, we definitely got to go with focus because it was that moment where I wasn't focused and I was supposed to be separate.
00:48:42
Samuel Smith
who
00:48:50
Christian McKenzie
But what I focused on was my strength. I was like, man, I'm pretty strong.
00:48:54
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:48:55
Christian McKenzie
I went all throughout high school.
00:48:55
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:48:57
Christian McKenzie
I didn't go to parties, you know, in a sense, like I didn't go to like, someone said, here, let's drink.
00:49:01
Samuel Smith
Yeah. yeah
00:49:04
Christian McKenzie
And um no, I don't drink. I don't do that. You know, and yeah I'd share the gospel with them. I'd share scripture with them. ah You know, i didn't use foul language and things like that.
00:49:17
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:49:18
Christian McKenzie
But people around me all the time work. Well, why won't you? Well, I'm not going to let corrupt speech. come out of my mouth if that's what you're going to do that's your choice to make but I can show you a better way when you focus on Jesus but it's that moment where I went there and I was you know I could have done what I was called to do preach Jesus share Jesus because that was my idea was i was I was going to say to these people don't drive drunk I can come get you
00:49:45
Samuel Smith
yeah
00:49:52
Christian McKenzie
And that was how I ended up at those parties. I wasn't going to hang out. I was going to pick people up.
00:49:57
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:49:58
Christian McKenzie
I was going to minister to them. And can't do a whole lot of preaching to a drunk person, so to say.
00:50:05
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:50:05
Christian McKenzie
But remember it when they wake up and you got a good connection to them. Like, hey, you made sure I made it home safely last night. That was awesome.
00:50:13
Samuel Smith
yeah
00:50:15
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Let's talk about Jesus now.
Genuine Faith and Devotion
00:50:19
Christian McKenzie
But, man, you know, I get there and And I went in there is like, I'm big. I'm bad No one can sway me.
00:50:28
Christian McKenzie
I'm so much stronger than temptation. Well, that's when I slipped.
00:50:35
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:50:36
Christian McKenzie
I wasn't looking at Jesus. i was looking in the mirror at the myself and how great I art.
00:50:40
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:50:42
Christian McKenzie
And so we do, we need to be there. We need get into temptation. we need to get into the these settings where people are and go to the people that need Jesus the most.
00:50:54
Christian McKenzie
But when we go there, we've got to have focus.
00:50:59
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:50:59
Christian McKenzie
And I'd say if you don't have the focus at that moment, maybe that's the time where you're getting focused. You know, like that time staying alone and preparing and you're a waiter or you're a waitress, but you're not always at that table taking the orders.
00:51:06
Samuel Smith
Yeah. in
00:51:15
Christian McKenzie
You're prepping things and getting ready. so
00:51:18
Samuel Smith
That's a very important time that so many people skip over of they don't prepare. They don't. ah They're not in the right mindset to go do those things.
00:51:30
Samuel Smith
They're not focused on Christ, really. And I mean, Even in pastors, you see that of usually I'm preparing my sermon until I step up to preach my sermon.
00:51:43
Samuel Smith
And that's just the way it is.
00:51:43
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:51:45
Samuel Smith
ah I'm like, this isn't right. I don't know about it. And then when I get up there and speak, usually it's different than my notes or gets a little jumbled up out of order. Because that's the way that God wants the words to flow.
00:51:58
Christian McKenzie
Right.
00:51:58
Samuel Smith
but we lose sight of the preparation so oftentimes and we don't prepare for the situations we go in it with why i have enough knowledge i'm good enough i've prayed enough i've read enough scripture i'm good and we know that no one is good but him his scripture says that and we say well i know enough and once you get to the point of
00:52:12
Christian McKenzie
Right. Right.
00:52:15
Christian McKenzie
but
00:52:22
Samuel Smith
You think you know enough is when you get into trouble of, well, you're no longer a servant or a student of Christ. You're no longer focusing on him. Because if you read the scripture, you look in Isaiah chapter 40 and it says his understanding is unsearchable.
00:52:36
Samuel Smith
Meaning that no matter how much you prepare, no matter how much you learn, no matter how much you read, you'll never know everything he does. And we're supposed to strive to be as him. so we should always be learning. We should always be growing. We should always be We should always be searching for answers through Christ, not making up our own answers, but looking for the answers that Christ lays before us.
00:53:01
Samuel Smith
But we don't.
00:53:02
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Yeah.
00:53:03
Samuel Smith
And we get back and say, I'm good enough.
00:53:04
Christian McKenzie
So often, yeah.
00:53:09
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
00:53:09
Samuel Smith
And i've I've had people tell me that. um asked someone, I was able to share my testimony and I asked them about their testimony and he went,
00:53:21
Samuel Smith
I'm good. And that was the end of the conversation. He shut down and he closed off.
00:53:25
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Right.
00:53:28
Samuel Smith
He said, I'm good. and then Then I know because God changed my life in such a way that I'm always going to share my testimony because that's what he did for me.
00:53:40
Christian McKenzie
right
00:53:42
Samuel Smith
That was the gift he gave me.
00:53:44
Christian McKenzie
right
00:53:44
Samuel Smith
When you look at someone woman in the face and say, hey, what's your testimony? How did God change your life? And they go, well, I got baptized or, well, my grandpappy went to church.
00:53:58
Samuel Smith
We understand they don't have that personal relationship.
00:54:00
Christian McKenzie
yeah and you hear that a lot too i mean that i can't tell you when i because you know sometimes i'll do like door-to-door ministry or or you know talk to someone i just met and usually one of the first things when i meet someone for the first time i want to know about you know their faith and uh within some restrictions because sometimes you're meeting like 80 people at once and so you can't
00:54:01
Samuel Smith
And then, yeah.
00:54:09
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:54:25
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:54:26
Christian McKenzie
It's hard to get 80 people. But when you get that one-on-one connection, like, hey, let's, you know, I don't know you.
00:54:30
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:54:32
Christian McKenzie
My name's Chris. I follow Jesus. Do you follow Jesus? You know, what what does that mean? and And so many times I've heard, like, well, my grandparents went to church and, you know, or, ah you know, my family went to church over there when I was a kid.
00:54:51
Christian McKenzie
And I read my Bible. and And they never say, yeah, i'm a follower of Jesus a lot of times.
00:54:57
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:54:57
Christian McKenzie
I'm like, well, yeah, we need to we need to work on something here. We need to talk about something here.
00:55:02
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm. Yes.
00:55:05
Christian McKenzie
Because that doesn't mean anything. And sometimes even them saying Jesus is Lord doesn't mean much too.
00:55:12
Samuel Smith
No.
00:55:13
Christian McKenzie
Because if they say Jesus is Lord, but they never follow him, then he's not Lord over their lives.
00:55:13
Samuel Smith
No. Mm-hmm. No.
00:55:20
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. and And that's why Jesus says at one point, not all who say Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven.
00:55:26
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
00:55:28
Christian McKenzie
Why? Because those people that were saying Lord, Lord, they were just saying it. And they weren't living it. And they weren't really submitted to him. They weren't really following him.
00:55:42
Christian McKenzie
And so, yeah, that's what I got. Yeah.
00:55:48
Samuel Smith
that rolls right into the next scripture ah verse 32 to 33 and when they got into the boats the wind ceased and then those who were in the boat came and worshipped him saying truly you are the son of God
00:56:05
Samuel Smith
Multitudes of people on a boat saying you are the son of God. Now, how many people, um many of them are just saying that?
00:56:14
Christian McKenzie
Hmm.
00:56:14
Samuel Smith
Because it doesn't specify here the disciples that says bunch people. And we know what disciples went through.
00:56:19
Christian McKenzie
Hmm.
00:56:20
Samuel Smith
We know they truly saw him as Lord. But you look at the multitudes later, the multitudes are the one that said, well, we want the murderer to go free and Jesus to be crucified.
00:56:25
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:56:35
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:56:36
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:56:36
Christian McKenzie
Well, then Jesus would say things and he'd have all these people follow. I don't know how many times he did this and he probably did it more times than are written down, but would turn around and there'd be so many people following sometimes even in the thousands, and he'd turn around and be like, hey guys, to follow me, you got to do this, or hey, if you don't take my blood, don't drink my blood, don't eat my flesh, then you ain't going to make it, and then all of a sudden, these multitudes would
00:57:14
Samuel Smith
yeah yeah
00:57:17
Christian McKenzie
Like one time he looked around and there were just 12 that were standing there. He's like, what are going do? going to leave? No, no, we're not going to leave. Are you sure? We're good.
00:57:29
Christian McKenzie
Until he dies, of course. And on the cross, then all of a sudden, like you said, they're gone. They're disappeared.
00:57:37
Samuel Smith
that reminds reminds me of the rich young ruler of hey lay it all down give it all to charity
00:57:37
Christian McKenzie
but Yeah. Yeah.
00:57:44
Samuel Smith
come follow me. And he said, that ain't for me. Says he turned around, hung his head and walked away. Didn't say a word. He just, in his mind, money was Lord dead.
00:57:57
Samuel Smith
His stuff was all his Lord. And that was where his focus was at.
00:58:00
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:58:02
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:58:03
Samuel Smith
And even you see, the woman who, put one a penny in there and it made a little clank and everyone else was throwing money in there like crazy and making big clanks. And he says, truly, she is given more than all of you because she gave it all.
00:58:20
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:58:20
Samuel Smith
And so oftentimes that's the way we look at things. Well, I can give this much and that's all I'm going to give to Christ. Whether that be time or our energy or our effort, we give parcels and we give pieces and we give
00:58:29
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:58:36
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
00:58:38
Samuel Smith
Part of our focus to Christ. We give part of our efforts to Christ. We give part of our day to Christ. And that goes back to. Hey where's your focus.
00:58:47
Christian McKenzie
yeah
00:58:47
Samuel Smith
Christ first. Everything else falls line.
00:58:51
Christian McKenzie
Yeah. Yeah. And you know, when we give our our out of our abundance, it it doesn't really mean a whole lot. It was funny. Oprah Winfrey. don't Don't get me canceled on here.
00:59:03
Christian McKenzie
Whatever platforms we put this on. ah and know that she's like off women we're not supposed to say anything bad about her but this is pretty funny ah there was that time that all that devastation happened I think in Hawaii and she was like everybody let's raise money I'm going to give a couple million to this and it sounds good you know a couple million because a couple million to me is like something I will never have and
00:59:35
Samuel Smith
Yes.
00:59:38
Christian McKenzie
And then you look at her wealth and that's like a nickel.
00:59:43
Samuel Smith
Yes. yeah
00:59:45
Christian McKenzie
And then all of a sudden people realized like, is that couple million going to help? It is.
00:59:51
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
00:59:52
Christian McKenzie
But what does it mean to her that she's just giving a nickel to a place that needs a whole lot more than a nickel?
00:59:59
Samuel Smith
Yeah. Yeah.
01:00:03
Christian McKenzie
And, you know, she's free to do with her money whatever she wants, whatever on that. But I think sometimes we get in that mode with Jesus, too, where we're like, we'll give you the nickel, but we got a whole dollar.
01:00:18
Samuel Smith
yeah
01:00:18
Christian McKenzie
And it doesn't mean much.
01:00:19
Samuel Smith
yeah
01:00:22
Christian McKenzie
And that widow that tossed in, you know, the parable of the the widow's mite there, not a parable, you that was no ah was actually happening. and know Actually, I have a theory that all of the parables were actually true, that we just didn't have people that were at those.
01:00:37
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
01:00:41
Christian McKenzie
But Jesus, who knows all things, knew of all of these different things. and Let me teach you the Lord.
01:00:47
Samuel Smith
yeah
01:00:48
Christian McKenzie
That's my theory. I'm sticking to it for the moment. But she had nothing but that might. Nothing but that penny.
01:00:56
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
01:00:58
Christian McKenzie
And while it was lesser in amount, than everyone else. She was the only one that gave her all. And isn't that amazing that and Jesus was moved by that?
01:01:13
Christian McKenzie
Not the ah amount, but by the sacrifice.
01:01:20
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
01:01:20
Christian McKenzie
And that was sacrifice to her. That is, you know, she could have bought food for herself. Not done a whole lot, but maybe
01:01:28
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
01:01:31
Christian McKenzie
go on another day no she gave it to further is the kingdom of god and man that think about that when you're we're talking about being busy earlier you know i i gotta do this i gotta do that well um then you get home and you're tired but it's time to get up and go out to youth group uh it's time to get up and go out and do
01:01:52
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
01:01:58
Christian McKenzie
you know this food ministry It's time to get up and go out do that. ah That's when you're here giving your all.
01:02:08
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
01:02:08
Christian McKenzie
And you can say, I'm tired.
01:02:13
Christian McKenzie
hi
01:02:15
Christian McKenzie
But what does that mean at that point?
01:02:19
Samuel Smith
When like I was talking to this guy and he and we were just getting on top of the church and the things that church does and stuff.
01:02:19
Christian McKenzie
So...
01:02:29
Samuel Smith
And it was to the effect of. Well, when he ended up saying, well, I'll I'll give as much money as they need. but I'm not going to give any of my time.
01:02:42
Samuel Smith
I'm not going to volunteer to do anything. And he thought giving money made up for the fact that he was unwilling to go. And it's so oftentimes those important things to us, the time or the effort that we have to put in, those are are the things that we should be giving to Christ, not the things that we can be frivolous with.
01:02:52
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
01:03:06
Samuel Smith
In his case, it was money.
01:03:06
Christian McKenzie
Right.
01:03:07
Samuel Smith
He said, I've got the excess of it. I'll give it. But my time, no, that's too important.
01:03:14
Samuel Smith
I don't have enough time. That's too important to me.
01:03:14
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
01:03:18
Christian McKenzie
Mm-hmm.
01:03:18
Samuel Smith
And he held to that. And he was unwilling to give it all.
01:03:23
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
01:03:23
Samuel Smith
Or in like going back to the beginning of our conversation, ah here's to my God section of my life and here's everything else.
01:03:33
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
01:03:33
Samuel Smith
And that's the way our lives go.
01:03:37
Christian McKenzie
Yeah.
01:03:37
Samuel Smith
We've got Sunday version of ourself and the rest of the week. We've got a church version of ourself and the rest of our personality and the rest of our life.
01:03:50
Samuel Smith
It goes back to the statement that you said. Well, all you Christians are just a bunch of hypocrites. There are a bunch of hypocritical Christians and necessarily I've been known to be one of them.
01:03:59
Christian McKenzie
yeah yeah yeah
01:04:02
Samuel Smith
Say one thing and do another. Speak against sin and go out and sin. that's That's kind of the point. I mean, or not the point, but that's kind of the thing that gets to it.
01:04:11
Christian McKenzie
to this day sometimes I'm a hypocrite
01:04:14
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
01:04:16
Christian McKenzie
but I think the important thing on that is you catch it because when you're focused you catch those things you know like When I tell people, you know, you're supposed to love your enemies and pray for them.
01:04:29
Christian McKenzie
And then ah someone makes me mad. I'm like, oh, I'm about to crush that person. And I'm like, ah, you hypocrite.
01:04:34
Samuel Smith
Mm-hmm.
01:04:37
Christian McKenzie
You know, but, but you know, ah the focus helps on that, too.
01:04:38
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
01:04:42
Samuel Smith
Yeah.
01:04:43
Christian McKenzie
You because when I'm focused on Jesus, when the flesh succumbs to that temptation, I'm like, I own flesh. I see where you're going.
01:04:55
Christian McKenzie
I'm cutting it off there. We're not going in for us. So, but yeah, man, this was, I think this was a wonderful conversation. we got to read the word.
01:05:05
Samuel Smith
yeah
01:05:06
Christian McKenzie
We really got to expound on it. I want to encourage everyone that's listening to this to really think about focus this week. And not just this week, of course, but, but you know, start start considering that.
01:05:20
Christian McKenzie
What are you focused on? on
01:05:21
Samuel Smith
Thank
01:05:22
Christian McKenzie
Are things just going crazy in your life right now? Well, you know, things are crazy in the world. But we find that when we focus on Christ, that we're able to walk on those things like walk above those things but when we focus on those things and focus on fear focus on our abilities focus on the world focus on sin all those different things we can focus on when we focus on those things and not jesus we we really get caught up and we end up drowning a lot of times but fear not when you call out to jesus even in those times
01:05:52
Samuel Smith
Yep. Yep.
01:05:58
Christian McKenzie
He's always there, ready to save you, ready to snatch you up and put you back above the waves and help you out. And don't take that as a way to say, OK, every time I drown, Jesus is going to be right there.
01:06:10
Christian McKenzie
So I'm going to drown as much as I can.
01:06:11
Samuel Smith
yeah
01:06:13
Christian McKenzie
But say, man, thank you, Jesus, that I'm floating now. I'm going to stay on top of the waves. If you keep that focus, you'll find that you drop less and less and less as you continue to follow Jesus.
01:06:28
Christian McKenzie
But Brother Sam, it's so good to talk to you. So good to read the scripture with you.
01:06:32
Samuel Smith
Yes, sir.
01:06:34
Christian McKenzie
We got to have you on here again when these other guys can get on here too.
01:06:37
Samuel Smith
Okay. That sounds good to me.
01:06:39
Christian McKenzie
And yeah, we'll we'll definitely talk some more about that.
01:06:39
Samuel Smith
Yep.
01:06:44
Christian McKenzie
But we dismiss us in word prayer.
01:06:47
Samuel Smith
Oh, yeah. I'd love to. Backhead Smith. Lord, I thank for this day and I thank for first time get to talk to a fellow brother in Christ, Lord. I thank for the scriptures that you laid before us and the topics and the words that you've given us.
01:07:01
Samuel Smith
I thank you for this ability we have to be able to talk across state borders and be able to have conversations about you and be able to put the word of God in the people's ears wherever it might come to them.
01:07:16
Samuel Smith
Maybe they just stumble upon their podcast. And they listen to it and their lives change for the better. We thank you for all the promises that you give us and the promises that we get to hold to, Lord. We love you, Lord, and we praise you in Jesus name.
01:07:29
Samuel Smith
Amen.
01:07:30
Christian McKenzie
Amen. And we will see you all next week.