SOBERING STANDARDS FOR SPIRITUAL SUCCESS
(ALL my sermons use illustrations from sermoncentral.com and all scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted)
All of us want to be successful, but first one must understand what success is. Webster’s defines success 1. Favorable or desired outcome, 2. The gaining of wealth and fame, 3. An event that accomplishes its’ intended purpose.
Ralph Waldo Emmerson says: “To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
I think success is often times confused with fame, success is Mother Teresa, fame is Madonna. There is nothing that some people won’t do to gain fame, often confusing fame with success. Most people see success as the gaining of worldly wealth, and unfortunately they lose their very lives trying to gain this wealth.
An organization in Montana once offered a bounty of five thousand dollars for every wolf captured alive. Two hunters named Sam and Jed decided to head for the hills and make some money capturing wolves. Day and night they scoured the mountains and forests searching for their valuable prey. Exhausted after three days of hunting without any success, they both fell asleep.
During the night, Sam suddenly woke up to find that he and Jed were surrounded by a pack of fifty wolves, with flaming red eyes and bared teeth, snarling at the two hunters and preparing to pounce. Sam nudged Jed and said, "Hey, wake up! We’re gonna be rich!"
Yet, according to the Bible, success is something very different. If you have your Bibles with you this morning, please turn to the book of Joshua, chapter 1 verse 8. I think the scripture tells us what success is and how we can be successful. I believe that the Bible tells the truth about success and shows us how we can find peace in our attempts to be successful.
“THE trouble with trying for worldly success is that the formula is the same as the one for a nervous breakdown.”
Josh 1:7-8 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
PRAYER
Folks, true success is KNOWING & DOING what God says. It involves knowing the Word of God and then having the desire to do whatever we have to succeed. So many people fail in life because they do not know what direction to go. People are confused because the world around them has so many different ideas of what success really is, and the Bible has one that is completely different from what the world says. The world says we must be FIRST to be successful, but Jesus tells us those who are last shall be FIRST. The world tells us we must be strong if we are to succeed, but Jesus tells us we are made strong in our WEAKNESS. The world says we must LIVE life to its’ fullest if we are to be successful, but Jesus tells us we must DIE to this world if we are to live. True success comes from knowing what God says about success and then doing it. DON’T be fooled, God wants the church to be successful, but not by worldly standards and not by worldly ways, He wants us to evangelize a lost world.
What amazes me is that so many churches TALK about evangelism BUT do little to succeed at it.
There was a man in a community that had the reputation for always being able to catch fish. Regardless of the time of the year it was, or whether anybody else was catching fish, this man was always managed to come back with a boat load of fish. His brother-in-law, who happened to be a Game Warden had always been amazed at the man’s success. So, one morning the man agreed to take his brother in law fishing with him. They went to a lake that was known for its poor fishing. The game warden watched his brother-in-law take the boat out to the middle of the lake and cut the motor off. The game warden was confused as he noticed that his brother-in-law didn’t worry about finding a ledge or brush-pile, or anything like that. Then instead of getting his rod and reel out, the game warden’s brother-in-law pulled a stick of dynamite out of a sack, lit it, and threw it overboard. A few seconds later, there was a big boom, and almost immediately the surface of the lake was covered with stunned fish. The Game warden couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed. He immediately began reciting the fishing laws and regulations to his brother-in-law. But this didn’t seem to bother his brother in law in the least. He simply reached into the bag for another stick of dynamite, lit it, and tossed it to the game warden and said, "You gonna talk, or you gonna fish?" The game warden noticed the fuse was almost to the end and He quickly decided to fish.
Now that story probably isn’t true, but it’s still a good story. Unfortunately I think God would like to throw some of us a stick of dynamite this morning and say, "Are you gonna talk, or are you going to fish! To SUCCEED we must stop all the talking and start DOING. To be successful we must understand God’s Word and do what it says. Ps 1:1-3 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
The man that prospers is the one that meditates on God’s Word and delights himself in it. That is He is willing to do whatever it takes to DO what God says. SUCCESS has some SOBERING STANDARDS when we do things God’s way.
Lance Armstrong is a phenomenal cyclist who has won the Tour De France seven times – and that after having survived cancer! One of the keys to his success as an athlete has been his single-minded devotion to training, including a willingness to suffer physically, to push his mind and body to the limit to prepare himself to win. Listen to this passage which describes his preparations for the 1999 Tour De France:
"I went back to training. I rode, and I rode, and I rode. I rode like I had never ridden, punishing my body up and down every hill I could find. . . . I remember one day in particular, May 3, a raw European spring day, biting cold. I steered my bike into the Alps, with Johan following in a car. By now it was sleeting and 32 degrees. I didn’t care. We stood at the roadside and looked at the view and the weather, and Johan suggested that we skip it. I said, "No. Let’s do it." I rode for seven straight hours, alone. To win the Tour I had to be willing to ride when no one else would ride."
Just like Lance Armstrong had to be willing to ride when no one else would ride, someone also had to die when no one else was willing to die--when no one else could die for our sins. In Gethsemane, Jesus "fell to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. And He was saying, "Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will." He died when no one else would or could die. And He won.
Are you willing to do what it is that God asks of you in order to succeed? To obtain Spiritual Success we must be willing to die to ourselves, to die to this world, to die to the flesh and live in Christ. We are ALIVE in Christ. We are SUCCESSFUL in Christ. The World has a completely different outlook on success then God does. Our problem is we don’t look at the big picture, we see ONLY the here and now, and we forget to see that ETERNITY is a lot longer than tomorrow. Living in the here and now and not seeing the big picture makes us do things that will only last a while and then we have to face the consequences of our action or lack of action. We must do things for the LONG HAUL not just to fix it for a little while.
A young couple decided to wed. As the big day approached, they grew apprehensive. Each had a problem they had never before shared with anyone, not even each other.
The Groom-to-be, overcoming his fear, decided to ask his father for advice. "Father," he said, "I am deeply concerned about the success of my marriage. I love my fiancee, very much, but you see, I have very smelly feet, and I’m afraid that my future wife will be put off by them." "No problem," said dad. "All you have to do is wash your feet as often as possible, and always wear socks, even to bed." Well, to him this seemed a workable solution. The bride-to-be, overcoming her fear, decided to take her problem up her mom. "Mom," she said, "When I wake up in the morning my breath is truly awful." "Honey," her mother consoled, "everyone has bad breath in the morning." "No, you don’t understand. My morning breath is so bad, I’m afraid that my new husband will not want to sleep in the same room with me." Her mother said simply, "Try this. In the morning, get straight out of bed, and head for the bathroom and brush your teeth. The key is, not to say a word until you’ve brushed your teeth. Not a word," her mother affirmed. Well, she thought it was certainly worth a try.
The loving couple was finally married in a beautiful ceremony. Not forgetting the advice each had received, he with his perpetual socks and she with her morning silence, they managed quite well. That is, until about six months later and marriage is forever. Shortly before dawn, the husband woke with a start to find that one of his socks had come off. Fearful of the consequences, he frantically searched the bed. This, of course, woke his bride, who, without thinking, immediately asked, "What on earth are you doing?" "Oh, no!" he gasped in shock, "You’ve swallowed my sock!!” SUCCESS is looking at the big picture through the eyes of God and understanding His Word and doing as He commands. The scripture tells us that we will prosper and be successful if we are careful to do everything that is written in God’s great Word. But it is very difficult to do this if we do not even know what it says. And even when we do know what it says, we must have FAITH IN GOD if we are to be successful.
Success truly is defined by our faithfulness to God. Peter walked on water until he lost his faith and focus and saw the storm. Noah was laughed at by the world and people thought he was crazy, but he was SUCCESSFUL because of his faith in God. The Egyptians must have thought Moses was a loser, but it was the faith of Moses that led the people through the Red Sea and drowned all the Egyptian army.
It was FAITH in God that successfully tumbled the walls at Jericho, and it was FAITH in God that allowed Gideon, Sampson, David and Samuel to be successful, the writer of Hebrews says this of all these examples: Heb 11:32-38 who through FAITH conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. 35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated- 38 the world was not worthy of them.
FAITH determines our success, the world is not worthy of the great heroes of the faith. Please remember this, our world sees SUCCESS through the eyes of the flesh, GOD sees it so very differently. The world wants what they believe is best for them, they do NOT SEE the big picture.
A church was in need of a preacher. One of the elders was interested in finding out just what kind of a preacher the church wanted. In order to do this he composed a letter as though it had been received from a preacher and read it to the committee selecting a new preacher. "Gentlemen: Understanding that you need a preacher, I would like to apply for the position. I have many qualifications that I think you would appreciate. I have been blessed to preach with power and have some success as a writer. Some say that I am a good organizer. I have been a leader in most places I have gone. Some folks, however, have some things against me. I am over fifty years of age. I have never preached in one place for more than three years at a time. In some places I have left town after my work caused riots and disturbances. I have to admit that I have been in jail three or four times, but not because of any wrongdoing. My health is not too good, though I still get a good deal done. I have had to work at my trade to help pay my way. The churches I have preached in have been small, though located in several large cities. I have not gotten along too well with the religious leaders in different towns where I have preached, and I am sure that they will not recommend me. In fact, some of them have threatened me, taken me to court, and even attacked me physically. I am not too good at keeping records. I have been known even to forget whom I have baptized. However, if you can use me, I shall do my best for you, even if I have to work to help with my support."
The elder read this letter to the committee, and asked if they were interested in the applicant. They replied that he would never do for their church. They were not interested in an unhealthy, trouble-making, contentious, ex-jailbird; and were insulted that his application had ever been presented! But one of them did ask the preacher’s name and the elder replied, "The Apostle Paul."
We need understand that God’s standards for success are more about our willingness to serve Him, and be faithful to Him, then they are about worldly possessions that we will not take with us when we die. We must remember that we are not in the land of the living trying to get to the land of the dying. We are in the world of the dead, trying to get to the world of the living.
The scripture tells us that our faith in God will determine our success, both as individuals and the church as a whole. If we believe that God’s plan is the right plan and we stand firm on his Word, we will succeed. God does not always answer our prayers the way we think He should, but He will always allow the faithful to succeed.
As we prepare to close this morning, let me leave you with an example of how God works for those that are faithful, allowing them success.
During World War II, a US marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades.
Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed.
As he waited, he prayed, "Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen."
After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, "Well, I guess the Lord isn’t going to help me out of this one." Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave. As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave. “Hah, he thought. "What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor." As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while. "Lord, forgive me," prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that in you a spider’s web is stronger than a brick wall."
We all face times of great trouble. When we do, it is so easy to forget the victories that God would work in our lives, sometimes in the most surprising ways. As the great leader, Nehemiah, reminded the people of Israel when they faced the task of rebuilding Jerusalem, "In God we will have success!" [Nehemiah 2:20]
Remember: Whatever is happening in your life, with God, a mere spider’s web can become a brick wall of protection. Have faith & believe He is with you always.
Just speak His name through Jesus His son, and you will see His great power and love for you.
IN GOD WE WILL HAVE SUCCESS, we need to know and do what His infallible Word says to do. We must understand that the world and God do not see SUCCESS as the same thing. As a matter of fact the Bible and the World see SUCCESS as opposites in many things. The Bible sees that the SERVANT is the successful one, but the world believes that the servant serves the successful. Remember, Jesus came as a servant.
It is our FAITH in God and stepping out in that faith that will determine the success of an individual. God tells us that while we might see wicked men gaining in this world they don’t see the BIG picture. Ps 37:1-2 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
As the ladies come forward this morning, I ask you ALL are you ready to be SUCCESSFUL, understanding the Standards of Spiritual Success? I mean are you ready to read, study, understand and apply God’s Word in your life in order to succeed? Are you willing to turn your thinking to God’s standards for success and not the world, understanding that the least is the greatest, the servant is the leader, and the strong are those who are weak without Christ? Are you willing to display your FAITH in God in order to SUCCEED, both as individuals and as a church?
This morning as we offer our invitation song “Under His Wings” page 311 we will sing verses 1 & 3 and if you need to come forward and accept Christ as your Savior, or become a member here at the Nishna Church of Christ, whatever God is placing on your heart, please come during this time.
INVITATION
