Focus
Heb 12:1-2 MKJV Therefore since we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (2) looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right of the throne of God.
In a nutshell, our focus should be Yahshua (Jesus) the Messiah, and we are to put aside ANYTHING that would hinder us.
Mat 14:28-32 AMP And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. (29) He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus. (30) But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]! (31) Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? (32) And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
The moral of this account is that when we keep our eyes on our Savior, we are able to do more than is normally and naturally possible. But, when we get our focus on the circumstances around us instead, we return to operating by our natural ability. He still saves us, but we can’t walk as he walks like that.
If we want to walk above the water in this life, we are going to have to focus on the one who is able and ready to empower us, and quit being distracted by natural circumstances that cause doubt to be triggered.
Notice that the “wind ceased.” When we focus on Yahshua, it is not that we ignore circumstances. If bills are due, we need to pay them as soon as possible. But, focusing on the need is not the way to walking like Yahshua. Realizing the need but then looking at Yahshua and trusting him is the way to walk in faith.
Joh 12:32 AMP And I, if and when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw and attract all men [Gentiles as well as Jews] to Myself.
I know this is signifying the type of death he would suffer for us all, but the principle is there that when we lift him up in our sight and that of others, we are drawn to him.
With that in mind, since this article is about focusing on Yahshua (Jesus), I want to take time to lift him up before our eyes, that we may be attracted to him, whether someone reads this and for the first time comes to him, or for those of us who need a renewed focus.
Who Is He?
Any message that demeans the one who has been highly exalted by the Most High God (our Father in heaven) to his right hand to have ALL authority, power, dominion, and praise from all creatures, is anti-messiah. It doesn’t matter what the reasoning behind it is. Any message that is trying to take the exaltation away from Yahshua is not of God, but of the anti-messiah spirit at work in the world.
We need to see who Yahshua really is and just how highly exalted and worthy he is.
Heb 1:1-4 KJVR God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, (2) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; (3) Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (4) Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
First, he is exalted above the angels. Second, he is the “brightness of his (the Most High’s) glory, and the express image of his person.” He is also the Word come in the flesh (John 1) who upholds ALL things by “the word of his power.” Finally, he himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
As the express image of the Most High, there is no distinguishable difference.
Joh 14:7-9 AMP If you had known Me [had learned to recognize Me], you would also have known My Father. From now on, you know Him and have seen Him. (8) Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father [cause us to see the Father--that is all we ask]; then we shall be satisfied. (9) Jesus replied, Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father?
The truth is, when we see Yahshua as he is, recognizing him properly, we see the Father. He is the express image and brightness of the glory of the Father. There is no room in these statements of truth for lowering Yahshua to anything but full oneness with the Father.
Joh 10:30 AMP I and the Father are One.
That is one of the simplest yet most profound statements in Scripture, made by Yahshua himself. From these verses we can make the acknowledgement that Yahshua is the manifest expression of the Father. In other words, the Father, the Most High God, has not been seen or heard by men directly as Scripture declares, but has only made himself known by his exact and express image, the brightness of his glory, his Son, Yahshua the Messiah.
Take a moment to think just how great this makes Yahshua. Then seeing him as highly exalted, give him the praise and worship he deserves. By doing so, you are praising and worshipping the Father as well.
Joh 14:6 AMP Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.
Indeed, if you cannot praise and worship Yahshua, you cannot worship and praise Father. If you cannot come to and bow before Yahshua, you cannot do so directly with the Father, because the Word has declared clearly, there is no way to go to the Father but through HIM.
Once again, this is because the Most High has not made himself manifest and known to mankind in any other direct way. He has spoken through messengers including prophets in times past, but he has now made himself fully known through the sending of his Son.
If you want to know the Father, and what the Father is like, you need to get to know Yahshua and what Yahshua is like. Look at how Yahshua treated men during his time on earth ministering directly, and you will see the Father’s heart displayed for all to see. \o/ Rejoice with lifted hands!
Mat 28:18 AMP Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
We all know what “all” means. It means that nothing is left out in heaven or on earth that is not under the authority, power, and dominion of the King of glory, Yahshua the Son of the Most High God.
And now for one of the most glorious descriptions of our Savior and Master I’ve known, that still makes joy in me well up until tears flow from my eyes.
Col 1:12-22 AMP Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God's holy people) in the Light. (13) [The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, (14) In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins. (15) [Now] He is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation. (16) For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him. (17) And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together). [Prov. 8:22-31.] (18) He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent]. (19) For it has pleased [the Father] that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should dwell in Him permanently. (20) And God purposed that through (by the service, the intervention of) Him [the Son] all things should be completely reconciled back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him, [the Father] made peace by means of the blood of His cross. (21) And although you at one time were estranged and alienated from Him and were of hostile attitude of mind in your wicked activities, (22) Yet now has [Christ, the Messiah] reconciled [you to God] in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His [the Father's] presence.
Wow! There is a lot to thank, praise and honor Yahshua for in there!
As it says, Yahshua created all things and upholds them (by the power of his word). He is rightfully then seen as Creator of heaven and earth with the Father.
Gen 1:26 AMP God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. [Ps. 104:30; Heb. 1:2; 11:3.]
We are to recognize the Father and Holy Spirit as well, as they also made mankind in their image and together work in perfect oneness, in total unity. However, Scripture makes it clear who our focus is to be on right now; the Son. Why? Because we cannot perceive the Father and Spirit even in our minds fully, but Yahshua was sent in the flesh (John 1) to be the representation of God that we can see, either by living at that time on earth or reading and hearing the accounts, and thus seeing him in our mind’s eye.
Over and over we are told through statements in the New Testament that Yahshua is to be our all and our complete focus, so we may follow him. We are taught by Yahshua to pray “Our Father in heaven,” but the emphasis of our focus is to keep our eyes on Yahshua, not Father or Holy Spirit. Again, this makes sense, as we can’t even properly imagine the Father and Holy Spirit other than looking at Yahshua and knowing they are just like HIM. If we’ve seen Yahshua, we know what the Father is like.
Luk 4:16-21 AMP So He came to Nazareth, [that Nazareth] where He had been brought up, and He entered the synagogue, as was His custom on the Sabbath day. And He stood up to read. (17) And there was handed to Him [the roll of] the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened (unrolled) the book and found the place where it was written, [Isa. 61:1, 2.] (18) The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity], (19) To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound]. [Isa. 61:1, 2.] (20) Then He rolled up the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing [attentively] at Him. (21) And He began to speak to them: Today this Scripture has been fulfilled while you are present and hearing.
Isa 61:1 AMP THE SPIRIT of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound, [Rom. 10:15.]
We could keep going through Scripture and find more, but this is a good start. You are free to search Scripture to add to these things to know (or remind yourself) who Yahshua is, and all he does for us.
Let us recap what we have seen in this article so far that he is.
He is…
• Savior (Deliverer - delivering us from bondages)
• Healer
• Creator
• Sustainer
• The exact and express image of the invisible God
• The living Word of God (through which all things were created and are sustained) made flesh
• The one all things were created for
• The one with authority over all of heaven and earth
• The only one men find reconciliation with God through
• The one who by himself has purged our sins by his blood
• The brightness of God’s glory (in the OT called the bright, morning star).
As we get to know him and walk with him, we will experience him as these things and our joy will be made full: “My healer, my deliver, my advocate, my creator, my sustainer, my salvation and forgiveness from sin, my shepherd who leads me and orders my footsteps,” etc.
In my experience, getting to know him in the next part of who he is works the same as first coming to him as savior from sin and death, to be reconciled through him back to God, which evangelical Christians call getting “saved.”
When we are first “saved” we know him as Savior. But, after that, we are to seek after him and get to know him as all he is, which is much more than “Savior.” What about Healer? Do we know him as our Healer? What about our Sustainer? What about our Shepherd who leads us season by season to his green pastures?
Getting “saved” is good, but getting to know Yahshua more and more is heavenly. We should end up like the apostle John who often reclined his head on the bosom of Yahshua while they were at the table fellowshipping.
After all, the reason he came to reconcile us was so we might have relationship with him, which Adam lost in the garden. He wants to have a close relationship with you. How will you respond to his desire?
What He Says
When our focus is on him, we will be focused on what he is focused on. What is his heart? What is his focus right now until his return?
Mat 28:18-20 AMP Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. (19) Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be).
Our focus, when focusing on him, will become his focus which is to seek and save the lost.
Luk 19:10 AMP For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.
He started this seeking but left the finishing to his disciples after teaching and showing us how.
In a nutshell, our focus should be Yahshua (Jesus) the Messiah, and we are to put aside ANYTHING that would hinder us.
Mat 14:28-32 AMP And Peter answered Him, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. (29) He said, Come! So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water, and he came toward Jesus. (30) But when he perceived and felt the strong wind, he was frightened, and as he began to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me [from death]! (31) Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him, saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt? (32) And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.
The moral of this account is that when we keep our eyes on our Savior, we are able to do more than is normally and naturally possible. But, when we get our focus on the circumstances around us instead, we return to operating by our natural ability. He still saves us, but we can’t walk as he walks like that.
If we want to walk above the water in this life, we are going to have to focus on the one who is able and ready to empower us, and quit being distracted by natural circumstances that cause doubt to be triggered.
Notice that the “wind ceased.” When we focus on Yahshua, it is not that we ignore circumstances. If bills are due, we need to pay them as soon as possible. But, focusing on the need is not the way to walking like Yahshua. Realizing the need but then looking at Yahshua and trusting him is the way to walk in faith.
Joh 12:32 AMP And I, if and when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw and attract all men [Gentiles as well as Jews] to Myself.
I know this is signifying the type of death he would suffer for us all, but the principle is there that when we lift him up in our sight and that of others, we are drawn to him.
With that in mind, since this article is about focusing on Yahshua (Jesus), I want to take time to lift him up before our eyes, that we may be attracted to him, whether someone reads this and for the first time comes to him, or for those of us who need a renewed focus.
Who Is He?
Any message that demeans the one who has been highly exalted by the Most High God (our Father in heaven) to his right hand to have ALL authority, power, dominion, and praise from all creatures, is anti-messiah. It doesn’t matter what the reasoning behind it is. Any message that is trying to take the exaltation away from Yahshua is not of God, but of the anti-messiah spirit at work in the world.
We need to see who Yahshua really is and just how highly exalted and worthy he is.
Heb 1:1-4 KJVR God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, (2) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; (3) Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (4) Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
First, he is exalted above the angels. Second, he is the “brightness of his (the Most High’s) glory, and the express image of his person.” He is also the Word come in the flesh (John 1) who upholds ALL things by “the word of his power.” Finally, he himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
As the express image of the Most High, there is no distinguishable difference.
Joh 14:7-9 AMP If you had known Me [had learned to recognize Me], you would also have known My Father. From now on, you know Him and have seen Him. (8) Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father [cause us to see the Father--that is all we ask]; then we shall be satisfied. (9) Jesus replied, Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father?
The truth is, when we see Yahshua as he is, recognizing him properly, we see the Father. He is the express image and brightness of the glory of the Father. There is no room in these statements of truth for lowering Yahshua to anything but full oneness with the Father.
Joh 10:30 AMP I and the Father are One.
That is one of the simplest yet most profound statements in Scripture, made by Yahshua himself. From these verses we can make the acknowledgement that Yahshua is the manifest expression of the Father. In other words, the Father, the Most High God, has not been seen or heard by men directly as Scripture declares, but has only made himself known by his exact and express image, the brightness of his glory, his Son, Yahshua the Messiah.
Take a moment to think just how great this makes Yahshua. Then seeing him as highly exalted, give him the praise and worship he deserves. By doing so, you are praising and worshipping the Father as well.
Joh 14:6 AMP Jesus said to him, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by (through) Me.
Indeed, if you cannot praise and worship Yahshua, you cannot worship and praise Father. If you cannot come to and bow before Yahshua, you cannot do so directly with the Father, because the Word has declared clearly, there is no way to go to the Father but through HIM.
Once again, this is because the Most High has not made himself manifest and known to mankind in any other direct way. He has spoken through messengers including prophets in times past, but he has now made himself fully known through the sending of his Son.
If you want to know the Father, and what the Father is like, you need to get to know Yahshua and what Yahshua is like. Look at how Yahshua treated men during his time on earth ministering directly, and you will see the Father’s heart displayed for all to see. \o/ Rejoice with lifted hands!
Mat 28:18 AMP Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
We all know what “all” means. It means that nothing is left out in heaven or on earth that is not under the authority, power, and dominion of the King of glory, Yahshua the Son of the Most High God.
And now for one of the most glorious descriptions of our Savior and Master I’ve known, that still makes joy in me well up until tears flow from my eyes.
Col 1:12-22 AMP Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God's holy people) in the Light. (13) [The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, (14) In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins. (15) [Now] He is the exact likeness of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible]; He is the Firstborn of all creation. (16) For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him. (17) And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together). [Prov. 8:22-31.] (18) He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent]. (19) For it has pleased [the Father] that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should dwell in Him permanently. (20) And God purposed that through (by the service, the intervention of) Him [the Son] all things should be completely reconciled back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him, [the Father] made peace by means of the blood of His cross. (21) And although you at one time were estranged and alienated from Him and were of hostile attitude of mind in your wicked activities, (22) Yet now has [Christ, the Messiah] reconciled [you to God] in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His [the Father's] presence.
Wow! There is a lot to thank, praise and honor Yahshua for in there!
As it says, Yahshua created all things and upholds them (by the power of his word). He is rightfully then seen as Creator of heaven and earth with the Father.
Gen 1:26 AMP God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. [Ps. 104:30; Heb. 1:2; 11:3.]
We are to recognize the Father and Holy Spirit as well, as they also made mankind in their image and together work in perfect oneness, in total unity. However, Scripture makes it clear who our focus is to be on right now; the Son. Why? Because we cannot perceive the Father and Spirit even in our minds fully, but Yahshua was sent in the flesh (John 1) to be the representation of God that we can see, either by living at that time on earth or reading and hearing the accounts, and thus seeing him in our mind’s eye.
Over and over we are told through statements in the New Testament that Yahshua is to be our all and our complete focus, so we may follow him. We are taught by Yahshua to pray “Our Father in heaven,” but the emphasis of our focus is to keep our eyes on Yahshua, not Father or Holy Spirit. Again, this makes sense, as we can’t even properly imagine the Father and Holy Spirit other than looking at Yahshua and knowing they are just like HIM. If we’ve seen Yahshua, we know what the Father is like.
Luk 4:16-21 AMP So He came to Nazareth, [that Nazareth] where He had been brought up, and He entered the synagogue, as was His custom on the Sabbath day. And He stood up to read. (17) And there was handed to Him [the roll of] the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened (unrolled) the book and found the place where it was written, [Isa. 61:1, 2.] (18) The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity], (19) To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound]. [Isa. 61:1, 2.] (20) Then He rolled up the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing [attentively] at Him. (21) And He began to speak to them: Today this Scripture has been fulfilled while you are present and hearing.
Isa 61:1 AMP THE SPIRIT of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound, [Rom. 10:15.]
We could keep going through Scripture and find more, but this is a good start. You are free to search Scripture to add to these things to know (or remind yourself) who Yahshua is, and all he does for us.
Let us recap what we have seen in this article so far that he is.
He is…
• Savior (Deliverer - delivering us from bondages)
• Healer
• Creator
• Sustainer
• The exact and express image of the invisible God
• The living Word of God (through which all things were created and are sustained) made flesh
• The one all things were created for
• The one with authority over all of heaven and earth
• The only one men find reconciliation with God through
• The one who by himself has purged our sins by his blood
• The brightness of God’s glory (in the OT called the bright, morning star).
As we get to know him and walk with him, we will experience him as these things and our joy will be made full: “My healer, my deliver, my advocate, my creator, my sustainer, my salvation and forgiveness from sin, my shepherd who leads me and orders my footsteps,” etc.
In my experience, getting to know him in the next part of who he is works the same as first coming to him as savior from sin and death, to be reconciled through him back to God, which evangelical Christians call getting “saved.”
When we are first “saved” we know him as Savior. But, after that, we are to seek after him and get to know him as all he is, which is much more than “Savior.” What about Healer? Do we know him as our Healer? What about our Sustainer? What about our Shepherd who leads us season by season to his green pastures?
Getting “saved” is good, but getting to know Yahshua more and more is heavenly. We should end up like the apostle John who often reclined his head on the bosom of Yahshua while they were at the table fellowshipping.
After all, the reason he came to reconcile us was so we might have relationship with him, which Adam lost in the garden. He wants to have a close relationship with you. How will you respond to his desire?
What He Says
When our focus is on him, we will be focused on what he is focused on. What is his heart? What is his focus right now until his return?
Mat 28:18-20 AMP Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. (19) Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be).
Our focus, when focusing on him, will become his focus which is to seek and save the lost.
Luk 19:10 AMP For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.
He started this seeking but left the finishing to his disciples after teaching and showing us how.