Preached at the Merritt Island church of Christ 6/18/2017 http://MIchurchOfChrist.org

2. 32 But I want you to be free from concern. One who is unmarried is
concerned about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord;
33 but one who is married is concerned about the things of the world,
how he may please his wife, 34 and his interests are divided. The
woman who is unmarried, and the virgin, is concerned about the things
of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but one who
is married is concerned about the things of the world, how she may
please her husband. 35 This I say for your own benefit; not to put a
restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure
undistracted devotion to the Lord.
- 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: Divided Interest
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3. Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the
word.
- Acts 8:4 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: Persecution in Jerusalem
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4. And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the
man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the
deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
- Matthew 13:22 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: The Sower and the Seed
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5. 15 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the
world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of
life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is
passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God
lives forever.
- 1 John 2:15-17 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: The Love of the World
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6. 8 If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. 9 But
those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many
foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and
destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and
some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced
themselves with many griefs.
- 1 Timothy 6:8-10 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: The Love of Money
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7. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so
that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses, do you
not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?
Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an
enemy of God.
- James 4:3-4 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: Friendship with the World
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8. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for
they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because
they are spiritually appraised.
- 1 Corinthians 2:14 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: The Natural Man
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9. But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and
looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
- Luke 9:62 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: Looking Back
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10. 3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No
soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life,
so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.
- 2 Timothy 2:3-4 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: A Good Soldier of Christ
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11. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to
be pleasing to Him.
- 2 Corinthians 5:9 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: Ambition to be Pleasing to
God
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12. There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of
death.
- Proverbs 14:12 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: A Way Which Seems Right
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13. 1 And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to
men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid
food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are
not yet able, 3 for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and
strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere
men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of
Apollos,” are you not mere men?
- 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: Jealousy and Strife
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14. 11 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain,
since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you
ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you
the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to
need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of
milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant.
14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their
senses trained to discern good and evil.
- Hebrews 5:11-14 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: Dull of Hearing
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15. 28 One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing
that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is
the foremost of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O
ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; 30 AND YOU SHALL
LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH
ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL
YOUR STRENGTH.’
- Mark 12:28-30 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: Serving God with all our
Heart, Soul, Mind and Sthrength
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16. 28 Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.”
29 And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has
left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the
kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times as much at this
time and in the age to come, eternal life.”
- Luke 18:28-30 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: Left all to Follow the Lord
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17. 23 And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me,
he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.
24“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses
his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. 25 “For what is a
man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?
26 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will
be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the
Father and of the holy angels.
- Luke 9:23-26 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: Take up our Cross and
Follow Jesus
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18. Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and
who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
- Isaiah 6:8 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: Lord Send Me
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19. 24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one
receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone
who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They
then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
26Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a
way, as not beating the air; 27 but I discipline my body and make it my
slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be
disqualified.
- 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: Run the Race to Win the
Race
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20. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to
resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH
TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF
RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE
PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to all,
taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all
the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take THE HELMET OF
SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
- Ephesians 6:13-17 NASB
UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION TO THE LORD: The Full Armor of God
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