How To Be Successful

Mark 10:32-52

1-31-10

“But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”

Mark 10:31

Who is Destined for Greatness ?What makes an individual great? Is it ability, strength, endurance or mentality.

Do we try to achieve success by limiting ourselves to our own resources?

What words come to mind? Role model, leader, potential, waste, idiot

Leadership success is based on behaviors, competencies and responsibilities: --- they must all be positive

Metaphors

Success is a journey, not a destination.

Do you have to choose?Do you have to choose?

Success And HappinessSuccess And Happiness

Success

• Who do you know that you think has attained real success in the eyes of God? (and man?)

• What is the real secret to success?

• What do you need to do for God to consider you a success?

If you could trade everything you have to be born into a family that had great riches would you do it?

How do you become a success?• Practice, Devotion, Discipline,

Education, • Investment, Luck?• Achieving greatness despite

seemingly insurmountable odds.

Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it. - Henry David Thoreau Success is a journey not a destination."- Anonymous If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.- Dolly Parton

What is your idea of success?

Is life about winners and loosers?

Are you a success?

The journey continuesAt what point in life is it decided you are a success or a failure?

T. S. Elliot in defining success said:

“Success is relative. It is what we

can make of the mess we have

made of things.”

“Our greatest fear should not be of

failure, but of succeeding at

something that doesn’t really

matter.”

How do you measure success?

• Size –paycheck, house, car, boat?• How about a favorable outcome

like a heart transplant?• What about obtaining something

desired or intended?• Is wealth and eminence the gold

standard?• I won, he lost?• Job performance?• Living the “good life”

IS MONEY GOOD OR EVIL?

Initially Neither (Neutral)

WorldlyPlan

God’sPlan

WorldlyPlan

God’sPlan

EVIL GOOD

OTHERS

What is success?

Each of us has different ideas about success.

Some view at it as overall success in life, others compartmentalize it into various aspects of life such as success in their relationships, family success, financial success (wealth).

Some see success as achieving  goals, having prestige, favor, status, and  power.

Others see success as being secure emotionally, being surrounded by admirers, and enjoying  the  fruits of their labor.

Were Peter and Paul successful?

• Did they have commitment?

• Where they willing to pay the price?

• Did they have a plan and stay focused?

• Did they take action?

Why should Christians try to be successful?

• Prayers are indispensible but money is necessary. How can a multitude of poor Christians feed hungry children. How can missionaries go to and live in the mission field without financial support? How can disaster victims rebuild their lives without people and building materials? How can broken lives be mended if they never hear of the healing power of the Holy Spirit? How can souls be saved unless they ear the Gospel? It all takes MONEY.

Success in the Kingdom

One human endeavor stands above all others: living a successful life, one that satisfies both God and oneself. How does one succeed in life? One must learn from the Master, practice the Master’s way of living constantly, develop a heart for the Master’s way of life and fully invest one’s life energy into succeeding at life.

In the section of Scripture covered by this week’s lesson, Jesus makes clear that successful kingdom living includes service. Life in God’s kingdom follows Jesus’ example. Life in God’s kingdom adopts Jesus’ attitude. Life in God’s kingdom places a high value on serving others.

How God Measures Success

God's measure of success involves our obedience and faithfulness to Him, regardless of opposition and personal cost. His measure of success is whether or not we are being loyal to Him in our personal relationship with Him and in our life, and whether we are accomplishing His goals & purposes for our life.

Measuring Success

• Success, at least for those claiming to follow Christ, must be measured in the degree to which one becomes like Jesus (Colossians 1:28-29).

• Real values — values which the Savior placed in the forefront time and time again (Luke 9:23-25).

True Success in life is:

living all of lifeas a faithful servantof Jesus

Christ

“A house is just a place to keep your stuff.” George Carlin

True Success Requires:

1. Purpose2. Perseverance3. People

Security and success: How Secure Is A Life?

For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

James 4:14

You ain’t gonna take it with you!

“He set his face toward Jerusalem”• Success does not mean

avoiding the hard path, even the path of suffering.

• Jesus “walked ahead of them.”

• A proper role model always is ahead of us, stretching us, and challenging us. Jesus remains the supreme role model for a believer.

• Jesus rebuked the selfish ambition of James and John.

• First, he challenged their understanding of their request. Second, Jesus contrasted worldly standards of greatness with the Christian standard.

• Non-believers measure success by the worldly standard of power and domination. In contrast, Jesus defined Christian greatness in terms of lowly service to others.

• (James and John did suffer. Herod Agrippa I beheaded James, the first biblical martyr (Acts 12). John received the penalty of exile on the isle of Patmos. Christian tradition claims that an aged John died on the island because of hard labor).

A successful Godly life requires renouncing selfish ambition (Mk. 10:35-41).

Success: Vanity, Jealousy & Ambition• The request made by James and

John, sons of Zebedee, seems utterly preposterous (v.35).

• Proper and holy zeal is often accompanied by ambition. . . . They who are not satisfied with himself alone, but seek this or the other thing apart from him and his promises—can cause one to wander from the right path."

To be successful, don’t let:

Understanding be blocked by stubbornness - The disciples were choosing to ignore this teaching.  When told of Jesus' resurrection by the women the disciples were in disbelief. (Luke 24:11)  Sometimes we don't "understand" because we choose not to understand; the implications of the truth would be life changing.  (Luke 24:25-27, 44-50)

Understanding be blocked by ignorance - When Jesus first raised the issue, it was met by Peter's rebuke (8:32).  Now His teaching is met by utter silence, not even one question was raised!  Through a combination of inertia, laziness, and lack of focus, Bible students often miss great truth because they don't dig deeper.

Understanding be blocked by fear - Jesus' teaching did not fit their preconceived ideas of His Messiahship.  They wanted to be Presidents and Prime Ministers of a New World order (9:34, 10:37).  Jesus' teaching of death must have placed fear in their hearts! 

Successful Christian Living: Victory over guilt.

One of the enemy’s strategies is to make people feel guilty and miserable. He does this so effectively and so often that he is also known as “the accuser.”

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). We need to understand we have been bought with Jesus’ precious blood, and that through His grace, we can participate in His very nature. Jesus made us free from our old nature and gave us a new one, which is to be expressed through the language of faith.

We need to be careful, though, not to give the adversary any cause for arguments, because Jesus has already granted us total victory on the Cross. Therefore, there is no condemnation for God’s children.

Success and the family

You are NOT a Biblical success if your spouse and your children have been sacrificed, neglected or emotionally abandoned along the way.

“Instruct those who are rich in the present world not to be conceited, or to fix their hope on uncertain riches, but on God who rightly supplies all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good. To be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.”

- Timothy 6:17-18

WEALTHY IN FAITH

Abundant faith

WEALTHY IN FRIENDSHIPS

How many true friends do you have?

Are you a true friend to others?

What kind of friends do you have?

• "He who will be great among you will become the servant of all" (Luke 22:26)

What makes a successful witness?

• Being able to communicate clearly is important.

• Know what you are talking about.

• Do you know the 4 Spiritual Laws?

What makes a successful person?

• Staying healthy is a BIG step.

• You aren't any good as a spouse, child, parent or worker if you don’t take care of yourself.

• Proper nutrition is important—physically and spiritually.

I. THE SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN IS LOVING - Matthew 22: 37, 3937

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

 II. THE SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN IS LEANING - Proverbs 3:5-6  A.  Trusting – “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.”

B.     Leaning – “And lean not to thine own understanding.”C.    Remembering – “In all thy ways acknowledge Him.”D.    Directing – “And He shall direct thy paths.”

 III. THE SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN IS LEARNING - Matt. 6:33

A.     Plan – “But seek ye first the kingdom of God.”

B.     Purity – “And his righteousness.”

C.    Provision – “And all these things shall be added unto you.”

 

 

Dependency, not competence• Our success is based on our

dependence upon God, not our own competency.

2 Corinthians 3:5 says, "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God."

As long as we admit our weakness and rely on God's supernatural power, we are guaranteed God's blessing and success in our efforts.

Motivation• Success and significance are not

based on our job description, but rather by our heart motivation.

• Colossians 3:23-24: "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." Each job is important—not only for the ministry, but to God.

Being successful depends on how you value yourself.

• You can have all the knowledge and skills in the world, but they are meaningless if you do not feel personally empowered to use them; it's like owning a Lamborghini and not having a driver's license. It looks shiny in the driveway, but your not really getting any value out of it unless you take it out for a spin.

Success means living meaningfully

• Do you have a reason for living? Goals?

• What is worth doing?• Are you in control of

your thoughts and your time?

• What controls you?

The NECESSITY of perseverance:

… let us run with endurance the race that is set before

us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and

perfector of our faith...Hebrews

12:1b-2a

Does success come from

• Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them ... Mark 11:24.

• If you abide in me and I abide in you, you shall ask what you desire and it shall be done unto you ... John 15:7.

• By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches and honor and life ... Proverbs 22:4.

• Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened ... Matt 7:7-8.

Dress for (spiritual) success

LUKE 16:15—God detests what man values —it’s a matter not of externals,

but internals, the heart.

MATTHEW 23:25-28—Jesus said, you guys pay attention to how you look on outside and ignore what you are really like on the inside, i.e. you look like a

white-washed tomb, nicely painted on outside, but filled with rottenness on

inside.

James 2:1-11—Fine vs. dirty clothes—poor vs. rich— sin to make

distinctions in dress

12 Essentials of Godly Success

“Biblical success is something that you are, not something you merely attain.”

Tommy Nelson

1. Foundations Begin with the Fear of God

o The fear of God is recognizing that life is designed by someone other than me.

Being so desperately dependent on the presence of God that your life is shaped by your need for Him.o If you truly recognize the

person and position of God, you won’t move one step in life in self-confidence.

1. Foundations

Acquiring Wisdom: Knowing Your Bible.o Wisdom is not just orthodoxy; wisdom is

applying God’s truth to the reality of life. Wisdom is the ability to learn from God.

Proverbs 4:7, 1 Cor. 3:18 Wisdom is born out of humility and the

recognition of our own ignorance. That’s what leads us to come to God for help.

2. Relationships

Wisdom is not truly wisdom unless it is lived out in the context of relationships.

“He who separates himself seeks his own desire” Prov. 18:1

There are a bunch of folks who don’t find success because they can’t get along with people.

Recognize that biblical success must be lived out in relationships.

Life is relationships. Are they successful?

Successful relationships start with YOU.

No matter who we are, where we live, what we do for a living, or how much money we have, the quality of our relationships will predict our happiness. Our success in all relationship requires us to be ever mindful of our speech, of our thoughts, of our actions and our intentions. Being a loving partner, parent, friend, or co-worker bears much fruit in our lives. Successful Relationships require that we pay close attention, that we nurture our ability be more compassionate and that we stay calm. Mindfulness helps us be aware of the patterns that help us connect to ourselves and to others in our world….and, the world at large.

3. Values Values are the Foundation Why is the choice of values so important? Matt: 6:21 Values are the Eye of the Soul

Things to remember:o Hag. 1:13o God will turn your life around quickly and join you in your journey when

you get your values straight.o Be careful not to think you can handle life on your own, so you don’t

need God’s word or truth for your life.o Check your motives during the day.

If someone were to follow you around for a week what would they say are the most important things in your life?

4. Integrity

Integrity is doing what you said you would do. It is keeping your word and fulfilling your promise.

If you say you’re a Christian, but in your job make a bad product, rebel against your boss, gossip, or act unethically, that is hypocrisy.

Prov. 22:1

5. Self-Control

Tiger Woods, Pete Rose Fruit of the Spirit, one is self-control Uncontrolled flesh:

Adultery Wicked Tongue Laziness Materialism Critical Spirit Lack of Forgiveness

5. Self-Control

How to deal with the Flesh & Self Control:o Understand the Risko See Your Sin in the Light of the Bibleo Remember, Sin is Defeatedo Crush the Flesh with Trutho Fight the Flesho Starve the Flesho Free yourself with Wisdom from Good Peopleo Repent Quickly

6. Submission to Authority

Submission Starts Early Our first sin in the garden of Eden was

rebellion against authority. The serpent told Adam and Eve that

submission to authority would never allow them to become what they wanted to be.

The reality is that you cannot be successful in life when you are constantly fighting against the institutions around you.

6. Submission to Authority

Everyone has to Submit 1 Thess. 5:12 God Demands Submission 1Cor. 11:2-3 Jesus Submitted Perfectly Mark 12:17 Great People Submit – King David Lack of Submission Leads to Disaster

12 essentials of Godly Success

7. Difficult Times Roll with the punches of Life

8. Peer Pressure Who will you allow to influence your heart?

9. The Workplace: The Sacredness of the Secular 10. Marriage: Foundation for Joy or Rock in your

shoe? 11. Children: Trying to insure their success. 12. Money: Handle or Be Handled by Wealth.

God’s view of success is based on the significance of our task,

not our material rewards.

• What if God called you to clean toilets, mop floors or dust shelves?

Did Jesus have a tax bracket? What was his salary? Did he get the big bucks from the outcasts, the downtrodden and the needy?

Successful Life SkillsThey are techniques, abilities and proficiencies in specific areas that give us the key to live successfully. Without these abilities, daily living sure becomes more difficult than it needs to be. When we develop these skills, our days become less chaotic, less dramatic and more enjoyable.

We can divide life skills into three areas:

Thinking skills - how we process our world: Memory, logic & wisdom.Social skills - how we relate to our world: Cooperation, conflict, communication.Emotional skills - how we feel in our world: Self confidence, esteem, grace.

4 Simple Steps Toward Becoming Successful

Step #1 – Wake up and smell the coffee! Proverbs 6:9-11 (NKJV)9 How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep—11 So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, and your need like an armed man.One of the biggest deterrents to success is procrastination.

Step #2 – Define your visionIn Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) Solomon wrote that, “Where there is no vision, the people perish:”

No matter what you are trying to accomplish, without a vision, there is nothing, no direction, no motivation or drive.

Step #3 – Effective PartnershipsIn Proverbs 15:22 we are told that, “Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established.” The wise man or woman always surrounds himself with people who are talented in different areas.

Step #4 – Actively pursue Wisdom and build your life on itProverbs 4:7 (NIV) says, “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” andProverbs 16:16 (NIV), “How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!We must make every effort to become diligent students of God’s Holy Wisdom.

Can you survive success?• Continue to Focus on the goodness

of God in your times of Success. Enjoy the good times but beware of the pitfalls of Success.

• During times of adversity and failure, continue to focus on God and His ultimate plans for your life. Learn the lessons quickly and get prepared for the times of responsibility just ahead. Understand the character of God.

SUCCESS!

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim 4: 6-8).

“Well done my good and faithful servant” Matt 25:21

True Success