Viewing The Top Lesson 1 Series

A. LIFE IS A MOUNTAIN ALL MUST CLIMB

“And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. Now therefore give me this mountain” (Joshua 14:10-12, KJV).

1. God gives everyone a mountain to climb, but each mountain is different.

a. Some are steep.

b. Some are dangerous.

c. Some are beautiful.

d. Some make you want to retire.

2. Your mountain climb is determined by:

a. Your parents.

b. Your neighborhood.

c. Your schooling.

d. Your friends, your physical makeup.

e. God motivating you.

3. You have various mountains in life.

a. Physical.

b. Financial/vocational.

c. Ministry.

d. Marriage.

e. Children.

f. Education.

4. God has determined your mountain but you determine how you will answer your challenge. “… one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,” (Philippians 3:13).

5. Reverse. The young “think they know” a lot about their mountains, but on the top you “know what they only think.”

Age 20 – we desire to wake up married.

Age 30 – we desire to wake up with a job.

Age 40 – we desire to wake up successful.

Age 50 – we desire to wake up rich.

Age 60 – we desire to wake up contented.

Age 70 – we desire to wake up healthy.

Age 80 – we desire to just wake up!

B. 13 VIEWS OF LIFE FROM THE TOP

1. You look back with understanding, whereas those climbing look forward with doubts and determination.

a. Rule: pay now, play later, i.e., learn early, enjoy later. “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth” (Lamentations 3:27).

b. I reject the idea older means less useful. The team that plays the best in the 4th quarter usually wins.

c. The remaining years in life – like the 4th quarter, determines the results of life. “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

d. You never reach the top if you stop a few yards short.

2. What you achieve at the top is built on what you learned at the beginning of the journey, so begin well and finish well.

3. The greatest thing about climbing near the top is you are still living, learning, and growing.

a. The coach takes some players out of the game and they do not finish because they quit playing their best and they did not help the team.

b. If you are still playing at the end of the game, the coach believes in you and you can get the job done.

4. The closer you get to the top, the more comfortable you get with the daily task of climbing.

a. Most do not know what they can do when they start climbing a great mountain.

b. One of the guiding principles of the older, they know what they cannot do and they know who they are not.

5. Even though it is more comfortable at the top, climbing never gets any easier.

a. Life is finite. “Man that is born of woman … is full of trouble” (Job 14:1). “In old age your arms will be weak and your legs will be feeble” (Ecclesiastes 12:3, The Prayer Bible).

b. The enemy is unrelenting and patient.

6. The longer you climb, the more comfortable you get with family, friends, and team members.

a. When I was younger I wanted everyone to be like me and do things my way.

b. I have learned, accepted, and made use of different spiritual gifts, personalities, and skills.

c. I have learned that others can do it better than me and different than me.

7. The closer you get to the top, the better your vision of things behind you, and challenges before you.

See first – see most – see farther into the future

8. The closer to the top the better you see the path to the top and what you have to do to finish.

a. You know what does not work.

b. You can apply what works.

c. You probably know easier and quicker ways to get it done.

9. The closer to the top, the more frustrated you are with past mistakes (yours and others).

a. You realize past failures did not kill you. what to do with failures: