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Enjoying
Life In A (Mostly) Joyless World
Enjoy Life By Pursuing Genuine Success
Philippians 3:12-21
Introduction: The Picture of Success
Well, there you have it—the picture of success. At least
success was her goal. Our character in this sketch was willing
to sacrifice almost everything in her life of any value for
the goal of success that was always just beyond her grasp.
But what a sobering thought at the end when things had finally
settled down a little, “I have
everything I want, but nothing I need.”
The subject of success is a multi-million dollar business. The market
is flooded with books, videos and seminars on how to succeed.
Something that really puzzles me is how so many of the success
instructors have almost no record. The one thing they have
accomplished is getting a book published.
Donald Trump
is back for another television season of Celebrity Apprentice.
The show takes celebrities who have achieved some level of
success in their field and puts them into the pressure packed
world of big business. As different challenges are taken on,
Trump evaluates the performances of the people until he ends
each episode with the dreaded words to one of them, “You’re
fired!” Finally, in the final episode, he crowns the successful
winner telling that person, “You’re hired.” Do you know what’s
funny about the show? I think the producers forgot to check
Mr. Trump’s track record because his Trump Entertainment just
filed for bankruptcy protection for the third time. Now, that’s
success!
When it comes to success I want to learn from someone who has done it.
I want to find someone who has accomplished what I would like
to accomplish. We learn far more about success in life from
models—someone who has succeeded—than from manuals.
Next to Jesus I think the apostle Paul is the most successful Christian
who ever lived. He lived his life to fullest making sure that
it counted. In the third chapter of Philippians we essentially
have Paul’s autobiography. In the first 11 verses (studied
last week) we read about his past. In today’s passage Paul
writes about his present and his future. We find there a model
for successful living. Paul himself provides our target for
the morning.
Brothers and sisters, all of you should try to follow my example
and to copy those who live the way we showed you. Philippians 3:17 NCV
Let’s try to do just that by looking at four keys for successful living.
1st
Key: Evaluation—Face My Faults
Having detailed his vast resume of religious credentials and stated his
intense desire to know Christ completely, Paul now informs
his readers he’s not there yet.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already
been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for
which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider
myself yet to have taken hold of it.
Philippians 3:12-13a NIV
I find this amazing. If anybody had the right to claim he had arrived,
it would be Paul. He wrote most of the New Testament. He single-handedly
spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. He made an
incredible impact on the world.
Yet Paul, at the end of his life, says "I don't have it all together.
I haven't arrived. I'm not perfect. I'm still growing."
The point is: successful
people never stop growing. They are always developing,
growing, expanding and learning. Even when he gets to be an
old man, from prison he says, "I haven't arrived."
That is so contrary to people today. Many Christians give you the impression
that they never have any problems. They give you the impression
that they have arrived. They live in sinless perfection with
no problems or doubts! I get indigestion from those kinds
of people. The longer I live and the more I grow as a Christian
the more aware I am of my own inadequacies, limitations, weaknesses
and faults. Rather than saying "Look how far I've come,"
I have to say, "Look how far I have to go!" Paul
says this is the starting point for successful living—to face
your faults and do an honest evaluation. You have to know
where you are before you can go where you want to be.
If you hide your sins, you will not succeed. If you confess
and reject them, you will receive mercy.
Proverbs 28:13 NCV
Successful people are honest about their faults. Transparency is a mark
of emotional maturity. Successful people admit that they have
not arrived, that they have a long way to go. Many people
are afraid to admit their weaknesses because they are more
interested in having a reputation than they are in being successful.
Sometimes you have to choose between the two and decide, “Do
I want to look good? Or do I want to be good?” The question you ought to ask yourself is, "Where do
I need to change?" We're good at inventorying
other people to see where they need to change. Instead, take
a personal inventory. Is there anything at all that still
needs to be changed? The next question has to be, “Of the
many things on that list which one do you want God to work
on next?”
2nd
Key: Elimination—Let Go Of Your Past
We are often haunted by our pasts and manipulated by our memories. Look
at the next key.
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining
toward what is ahead…
Philippians 3:13b NIV
Paul understood that he needed to stop wasting time on the past if he
was ever going to become all God wanted him to be. When it
comes to the past; it’s past. Let go of it. Let go of any
guilt, grief or grudges that still release their toxic poison.
You have to let go of your past to get on with your present.
A big part of success involves learning to forget. Good advice
is offered through the inspired thoughts of Isaiah.
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I
am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive
it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:18-19
NIV
How do you forget? Research tells us that anything and everything that
ever happened to us is stored in our brains. If it’s stored
there, how do I forget it?
The word “forget” here actually means to no longer exert its influence.
We are to no longer allow those things to control us. Successful
people learn from the past without dwelling on the past. There's
a big difference. Successful people learn from the past and
once they learn, they let it go and move on. They don't keep
binding themselves to the past.
It's human
nature to remember things we should forget and to forget things
we should remember. We hold on to the bad memories we should let go of and we forget the
positive things and the lessons we learned. Stay with me for
a few more thoughts. There are two specific areas we need
to forget in order to follow Paul’s pattern.
Forget Your Failures
Too often Christians continue to rehearse in their thoughts what God
has forgiven and forgotten. They refuse to forgive themselves.
They hold on to the past. One of Satan’s favorite tactics
is to paralyze us with the past.
While in California
our church there had a large—and fairly successful—Divorce
Recovery Ministry. Time and again people who emerged from
the other side of that dark valley testified that one of the
hardest and most important struggles was to work through the
overwhelming feeling of failure. They had completed the first
key step of evaluation and agreed with the entire world, “I
am a failure.” They had to work all of that through to understand
that failure in marriage didn’t make them a failure.
Paul had worked through the enormous failures in his past as God did
a new thing in him. Paul may be the most successful Christian
to ever live but before that he was among the biggest losers.
He had plenty to regret. He persecuted Christians. He hunted
people down who were followers of Christ. His mission was
to destroy them. He provided the coat check for the people
who made Stephen the first Christian martyr by stoning him.
I have a strong sense that he probably enjoyed being there.
Paul faced his faults. He placed them before the Cross of Christ to be
forgiven by His grace. And then, he considered his past dead.
He had been Saul; He became Paul. With the lessons learned
he moved ahead.
Forget Your Successes
There are two things to be forgotten—failures are the first and successes
are the second. You can rejoice in your successes. You can
learn lessons from your successes. Then, it’s time to tackle
the next challenge. The problem with success is that it tends
to fill you with pride and make you complacent.
Athletes struggle
with this. In most cases their greatest accomplishments come
before they are 35 years old. After that, it’s all downhill.
The achievements are recorded on the back of the collector
card and they never change after that. The great ones, however,
move past those successes. They use that chapter of life to
benefit others. Magic Johnson was one of the all time greats
in basketball. Because of one colossal failure, he retired
early after contracting AIDS. What has he done? He redevelops
blighted inner-city areas where many people are locked in
a prison of continuous failure. He creates jobs and provides
for a brighter, successful future. When he hung up the basketball
shoes it wasn’t the end of life; it was the beginning of the
most important part of his life.
Jesus told us we can’t live life while looking backwards. Listen to His
words.
Jesus said, "Anyone who begins to plow a field but keeps
looking back is of no use in the kingdom of God."
Luke 9:62 NCV
It’s the next thing that lies ahead that really matters. Here’s the question
to answer as we wrap up this section, “What memory do I need to let go of?”
3rd
Key: Concentration—Focus On The Future
In talking about forgetting what is behind we naturally begin to look
at what it ahead. We need to do more than just to look ahead.
If all you do is forget the past, you may simply have amnesia.
We need to concentrate and focus on the future. Paul has a
one goal.
But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining
toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal…
Philippians 3:13-14a NIV
Successful people are goal-oriented and the goals are focused. Most of
us suffer from fragmentosis. We try to do 100 things all at
the same time. We are jacks of all trades and masters of none.
We spread ourselves far too thin. In case you’ve never heard
me say this before—or maybe you weren’t ready to hear it—the
focused life is the effective life.
Paul’s counsel
is to find out what counts and concentrate on that.
A river that
spills over its banks turns into a swamp. Make sure that river
stays within its banks and you can build a dam and turn the
river into a source of great electrical energy. Light can
be allowed to move in all directions but harness its flow
into a concentrated beam and you have an extremely powerful
laser.
At the core of every successful professional
you will see that at some point they chose to concentrate
on one specific activity. Tiger seemed destined by birth for
golf, but he embraced it. Pavarotti was blessed with a great
voice but he trained it so it became exquisite. Bill Gates
had an idea to make the computer accessible to anyone and
opened windows into a new world. Oprah had her name misspelled
on her birth certificate but she has redefined mass communication
so all we need to know about her is the letter ‘O’.
Pros realize you can’t do everything and concentrate
of one thing.
It is estimated that less than 5% of Americans ever write down a goal
to accomplish. Worse than aiming at everything; they aim at
nothing. It’s not by accident that we find the leaders in
every field among the 5% who identified the goal to be accomplished.
They understand the point made by Paul to the church in Corinth.
You know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets
the prize. So run to win!
1 Corinthians 9:24 NCV
So, run to win, but run to win the prize that matters. Paul had a prize
in mind. Because he wrote it down, we know his goal.
So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home
in the body or away from it.
2 Corinthians 5:9 NIV
It’s time again for the question that finishes off this section. You
have to already know what the question is. What is the goal for my life? What’s the one thing I’m living
for? That will focus you on the future so you’ll
be ready to go for it.
4th
Key: Determination—Fight To The Finish
Absolutely nothing worthwhile happens in life without effort. Great people
are simply ordinary people who don’t know how to quit. They
never give up. Look again at the terms used by Paul.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already
been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for
which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider
myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting
what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press
on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called
me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians
3:12-14 NIV
Do you feel the intensity burning in Paul? He presses
on straining toward what is ahead. Press on means to overextend.
He is going for it with everything he has. With every nerve
ending and ounce of muscle he strains to reach the prize.
I wonder: What would happen if Christians would put as much energy
into growing as they do into making money or their favorite
activity?
In his farewell visit with the elders of the church at Ephesus Paul told
them,
And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem,
not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that
in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships
are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to
me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the
Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel
of God's grace.
Acts 20:22-24 NIV
The world is full of quitters, people who drop out at the drop of a hat.
They give up on their business, their marriage, their kids,
their relationships and their dreams. Paul said "I am
not going to quit. No matter what happens, I'll never give
up." I want God's best for my life and I'm going to complete
what He's called me to do. The last words of Paul are in the
final letter he wrote. What was Timothy thinking as he read?
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and
I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge,
will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not
just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 NLT
Paul’s message wasn’t about attaining salvation. That’s the free gift
of God. His focus was on the prize of the crown of righteousness.
It is that crown that he desired as he lived his life to please
his Savior.
Paul supplies us with three tips on how to maintain our persistence and
live with determination.
Tip 1: Adopt God’s Point of View
All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. Philippians
3:15a NIV
When we see things from God’s point of view we understand that we all
have our faults that need to be faced. When we know that,
we won’t use them as an excuse. We won’t become complacent
because we know God has a better end in view.
Tip 2: Maintain A Teachable Spirit
All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.
And if on some point you think differently, that too God will
make clear to you.
Philippians 3:15 NIV
Instead of stubbornly insisting that you know what is right and best,
always remain open to God’s teaching.
Tip 3: Be Who God Made You To Be
Only let us live up to what we have already attained. Philippians
3:16 NIV
The chapter finishes with Paul comparing our destiny as citizens of the
kingdom of God with those who make this world the goal. He
invites us to join with all those who follow his example of
putting Jesus and His kingdom as the desire that really matters.
Locking into this world leads to destruction. Focusing on
God’s prize and refusing to settle for anything less leads
to satisfaction and success. How will you respond to his invitation?
Are you going to run to the finish?
Brothers and sisters, all of you should try to follow my example
and to copy those who live the way we showed you. Many people
live like enemies of the cross of Christ. I have often told
you about them, and it makes me cry to tell you about them
now. In the end, they will be destroyed. They do whatever
their bodies want, they are proud of their shameful acts,
and they think only about earthly things. But our homeland
is in heaven, and we are waiting for our Savior, the Lord
Jesus Christ, to come from heaven. By his power to rule all
things, he will change our humble bodies and make them like
his own glorious body. Philippians 3:17-21 NCV
Conclusion: Your Response Requested, Please
Which
of these issues do you need to focus on?
When
was the last time you sat down and did a frank, personal evaluation
of your life? Is it time to look at your marriage, family,
career, finances or relationship with God?
What
is it that needs to be left behind? Are you going to allow
your past to rule your present and most likely ruin your future?
Are
you trying to dabble in so many things that you can’t get
anything done? What is the one thing that burns in your soul?
Have
you ever been tempted to stop running and drop out of the
race?
I want to challenge you to define your success by pressing on for the
prize to which God is calling you. Nick
Vujicic enjoys life like few people I have ever seen.
He was born without arms or legs. On his official web site
Life Without Limbs
he writes,
I was born without arms or legs and given no medical reason
for this condition. Faced with countless challenges and obstacles,
God has given me the strength to surmount what others might
call impossible. Along with that, the Lord has placed within
me an unquenchable passion to share this same hope and genuine
love that I’ve personally experienced with more than two million
people all over the globe. Traveling extensively to over 19
nations, I've been extremely humbled by the continuous opportunities
that the Lord has given me to share my testimony along with
the hope that I have in Jesus with people in so many nations
and situations. My greatest joy in this life is to introduce
Jesus to those I meet and tell them of His great desire to
get to know them personally by allowing Him to become their
Lord and Savior.
God has used me to let people know in countless schools, churches,
prisons, orphanages, hospitals, stadiums and in face-to-face
encounters with individuals how very precious they are to
God. Secondly, it’s my pleasure to assure them that God does
have a plan for their lives that is purposeful. For God took
my life, one that others might disregard as having any significance
and filled me with His purpose and showed me His plans to
move hearts and lives toward Him. Understanding this, though
faced with struggles, you can overcome too.
Be encouraged today as you read this promise from the Lord
found in Jeremiah 29:11 of the Bible, "For I know the plans I
have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
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