2 Timothy 1:7, Philippians 3:13-14, Hebrews 12:1-3
How To Make It In This World
Introduction
A. Everybody is trying to make it in this world
B. Some people will go to considerable lengthens for success
C. An Athlete might try take steroids, or cork a bat (did he do it on purpose)
D. Someone might try and gain insider trading news to make an extra buck
E. Someone might try and lie on their resume to get a better job
F. All of this going on hoping to make it in this world
G. This stuff obviously will not help you make it in this world
H. So how do you make it in this difficult world
I. The Bible gives us some guidelines that will enable us to make it in this world
a. Face your Fears
b. Forget Your Failures
c. Follow your Faith
I. Face Your Fears (2 Timothy 1:7)
A. Explanation
1. We are all afraid from time to time
2. Even you strongest football players have fears
B. Illustration
1. Ricky Williams was drafted in the first round after New Orleans traded all their draft picks for him. His rookie season was not that great and it was appearing that he would be a complete bust. Part of his problems was that he had social anxiety disorder. Which meant that he was uncomfortable in public. This affects his playing too. He would become so worked up he could not perform on the level he should. He was traded to the Dolphins last year received counseling for the problem and faced his fears.
2. It is not wrong to have fears
3. What is wrong is when we let fears control us
4. When become consumed by fear
5. We live in a constant state of fear
6. WE don’t do stuff because of fear
7. Ill: A university did a survey. They had 10 people in a classroom and the teacher would ask the class which line was the longest. 9 of the people participating were told to choose the 2nd longest. 1 person did not know what was going on. In 75% of the test they did, the 1 person would go along with what everyone else would say. Why? Out of fear. Fear of being wrong. Fear of not being accepted
C. Application
1. How can we overcome this
2. Look at 2 timothy 1:7. (Read it)
3. Keep in mind that when Paul wrote this to timothy he was a young preacher trying to be all that God intended him to be but he had a lot of fear
4. So Paul tells him not to be afraid
5. Paul Tells we have confidence to face our fears
6. Fears will be with you all your life
7. Do not run from you fears, FACE them
8. Be willing to stand against someone
9. Be willing to try something new
10. Be willing to say to your Biology professor, you are Wrong!
11. Be willing to say to society that is not right
12. Be willing to admit that there is absolute right and absolute wrong
13. Be willing to make ethical decisions at work and on test
14. Be willing to be the one in the class who doesn’t cheat
15. You serve a God who gave you the spirit of power of love and of self-discipline!
16. USE IT!
II. Forget Your Failures (Philippians 3:13-14)
A. Explanation
1. I wish we had a better understanding of failure
2. When we hear the word failure it immediately has a very negative connotation attach to it
3. As a society we hate failure
4. You see many people who dwell constantly on their failures
5. Ohh I don’t want to do that because I tried it before and failed
6. Ohh I would teach Sunday School Class but the first time I tried I failed and I will never do it again
7. You know what everyone fails at one point in their life
8. I was reading a book by a very successful pastor. The church had grown from 10 to 15,000. When I saw the book I’m thinking this guy knows what to do, He is not a failure I will learn a lot about success from this book
a) So I start reading the introduction. One of the first things that came out loud and clear was “I would have a lot easier time writing a book about how not to do things then I would writing a book on how to do things right. He said that he experienced more failures then success
9. Failures are not then end of the world
10. They are the beginning of success
B. Application
1. What does this mean for our lives?
2. Look at Philippians 3:12-14. Notice what Paul says
3. Forgetting what is behind me and pressing forward
4. Paul obviously made many mistakes in his life, you know like persecuting Christians
5. But he does not dwell on that he does not let that control him
C. Illustration
1. When I was in college my sophomore year. There was a girl who came and visited the campus on a college visitation. Well this girl was so beautiful that I lost focus on the fact I had a big test that I should study for. To this day Heather tells me I could have studied instead of spending time with her. Well I took the test, and I failed, failed badly. I got a 48%. The worse I had ever done. That was not Heather’s fault it was my own I admit it, I failed. I figured out my grade and what I needed to do on the final, for we only had 3 tests all semester. I need a 92% on the final to pass the class. YIKES!
2. At this point I had a choice I could drop the class because I knew I would fail. Or I could but that 48% behind me press on. I choose to press on; I chose to forget that awful failure. I took the final and I got a 96%
3. If you sit their and dwell upon all your failures you will never get anywhere
4. You will never succeed, you will be afraid to do anything
5. If you try something and you do good, great
6. If you try something and fail, move on
7. There will be other opportunities.
8. Winston Churchill was asked to give the commencement speech for oxford university in the middle of WWII. He shows up to the event gets up to the podium and begins his speech. NEVER GIVE UP he then waited about 30 seconds and repeated. NEVER GIVE UP walked of the stage
9. When you fail, forget about the failure and try again!
III. Follow Your Faith (Hebrews 12:1-3)
A. Explanation
1. In running you always want to know where the finishing point is. I never wanted to run a race were I did not know where the finishing point is.
2. It would be ok if I did not completely know the course, but I needed to know the finishing point
3. The one time in college I decided to go on an 18 mile run. It was long. I was tired. I wanted to quit
4. But I didn’t. I kept running knowing were my finish line was. It was my reference point
5. The Apollo 13 as we remember had some major mechanical malfunctions. The possibility of making it was slim. They had to conserve energy as much as possible. Then for 39 seconds had to conduct a burn. However, they had not instruments to tell them which direction to go. So Jim Lovell found his reference point
6. He stared at the earth out of a tiny window for 39 seconds. Never loosing sight of the reference point
7. Sure enough he made it.
8. Last week in a CART race. One of the drivers was had a huge lead on the last lap. So as he was no more then 100 feet from the finish line he slowed way down to salute his fans and his crew. Well he slowed down to much and someone passed him for the win
9. He took his eyes off his reference point
B. Application
1. What is our Reference point?
2. Read Hebrews 12:1-3
3. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus
4. That is our reference point
5. What happens to many people is they take their eyes of Jesus
6. They begin to look at other things
7. They begin to forget their reference point
8. And they don’t make it
9. They don’t finish the race
10. To finish the race we need to continue to follow your faith
11. Continue to keep our eyes fix on Jesus
12. Any other reference point will fail
13. Follow Your Faith, Follow God
C. Illustration
Conclusion
A. I want you all to make it in this world
B. I want to all to be successful
C. In order to do that you have to
a. Face Your Fears
b. Forget your failures
c. Follow Your Faith
D. This is not a simple you can make 100,000 year from your home working 2 hrs a week plan
E. This is not a get rich quick scheme
F. Live is tough
G. Life is hard
H. There is not way around that
I. God is stronger then your fears
J. God will let you overcome your failures
K. God will guide you along the course of life
L. That is how you can make it in this world!
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