Sun. Feb. 21/93 Ps. 146
Ingredients For Success
Psalm 146:1-10
Praise ye the LORD. Praise the LORD, O my soul.
2 While I live will I praise the LORD: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
3 Put not your trust in princes, [nor] in the son of man, in whom [there is] no help.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
5 Happy [is he] that [hath] the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope [is] in the LORD his God:
6 Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein [is]: which keepeth truth for ever:
7 Which executeth judgment for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The LORD looseth the prisoners:
8 The LORD openeth [the eyes of] the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:
9 The LORD preserveth the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.
10 The LORD shall reign for ever, [even] thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD.
(KJV)
Sun. Feb. 21/93 Ps. 146
Ingredients For Success
- Who am I?
" I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so."
- Consider the chronology of his career:
1831 - Failed in business
1832 - Defeated for legislature
1833 - Again failed in business
1834 - Elected to legislature
1835 - Sweetheart died
1836 - Had nervous breakdown
1838 - Defeated for speaker
1840 - Defeated for elector
1843 - Defeated for Congress
1846 - Elected to Congress
1848 - Defeated for Congress
1855 - Defeated for Senate
1856 - Defeated for Vice-President
1858 - Defeated for Senate
1860 - ELECTED PRESIDENT
I am Abraham Lincoln
On Lincoln’s birthday an interesting cartoon appeared in a newspaper. It showed a small log cabin at the base of a mountain and the White House at the top of the mountain. A ladder connected the two buildings. at the bottom of
the cartoon were these words: "The ladder is still there!" To climb that ladder however, means sweat and toil.
The number of people who commit suicide after experiencing the fame or fortune of worldly success is astonishing.
Multimillionaire George Vanderbilt killed himself by jumping from a hotel window.
Lester Hunt, twice governor of Wyoming before being elected to the US Senate, ended his own life.
Actress Marilyn Monrow,
Writer Ernest Heminhway,
Actor John Bulishi,
Athlete Tony Lazzeri
All represent a host of highly influential and popular People who became so disenchanted with earthly success that they took their own lives.
Word Success found only once -- Jos.1:8
1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and
then thou shalt have good success.
OT gives examples and pictures of success and
failures
SUCCESS FAILURES
Moses - Building a Nation --- Aaron - Golden Calf
Jos. - Building a Country -- Achan - Coveted
David - Building a Country -- Absalom’s Treason
Ezra - Building a Temple ---- People In Captivity
Neh. - Building a Wall ------ People Scattered
NT blue print for personal success through Jesus Christ
Man’s 3 needs Something to Love
Something to Live for
Something to Hope for
God’s Will For Us - Saved
- Sanctified
- Sp. Filled
- Separated
- Suffering
Ingredients for success last words of Jesus to His disciples
Jn. 14 - "Let not your heart be troubled"
Jn. 15 - "I am the vine"
Jn. 16 - "These things have I spoken unto you
that ye should not be offended"
Jn. 17 - These word spake Jesus (& Prayed)
Jn. 18 - When Jesus had spoken
Jn. 15 A picture of a Vineyard that is successful
1. GOALS - A CLEAR SENSE OF DIRECTION
- Purpose of the branches - bear fruit
- Many have no sense of direction
- What are your goals for * This week
This month
This Spring
Have you started planning on your vacation?
What is your biggest dream, have you started working toward it or is it just a dream?
Know where you’ll be in 5 years.
- What are your plans for?
- We do think about --
a. Health
b. Mental or Intellectual {school}
c. Professional or Job related
d. Financial
e. Friendship & Recreational
f. SPIRITUAL
--------
- Christ said bear much fruit
- Is. 1:16-20 How to begin to bear fruit
1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good
of the land:
1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath
spoken [it].
Dr. Wonder why men die 15 years younger than women.
- That’s easy they don’t have to live with women.
- Now I believe men retire & women don’t
- Men lose sight of their goals.
- 1st. Ingredient - Have a clear sense of direction
- Set down a plan.
2. ACCEPT FULL RESPONSIBILITY OF YOUR SUCCESS OR FAILURE
- Most like to find some other reason for our lack of success
- Society likes to look to the government for a solution
- Remember that Gov. aid is simply Money we used to have before we gave it to the government to give it back to us usually in a rather inefficient manner.
Its liked giving yourself a blood transfusion in your right arm by taking blood out of your left arm and spilling half of it somewhere in between.
- Jn tells us our success is in relation to our Abiding --- 9x
- Abiding is my responsibility.
- Abiding is time spent with the Lord.
- Prayer
- Scripture
- Memorizing
- Getting Involved
- Only 3 sources of help.
( Yourself ( People ( Grace of God ------ Ps. 146
3. A WILLINGNESS TO KEEP LEARNING, GROWING, & CHANGING ALL OF YOUR LIFE
- They say experience is a good teacher?
- Not so.
- Has your hand writing improved over the years?
- Experience tends to make us increasingly careless and less efficient.
- It’s when we examine experience and let it speak to us that we learn from it.
When Longfellow was well along in years, his head as white as snow, but his cheeks as red as a rose, an ardent admirer asked him how it was that he was able to keep so vigorous and write so beautifully. Pointing to a blooming
apple tree nearby, he replied: "That apple tree is very old, but I never saw prettier blossoms upon it than those it now bears. The tree grows a little new wood every year, and I suppose it is out of that new wood that those blossoms come. Like the apple tree, I try to grow a little new wood every year."
And what Longfellow did, we all ought to do.
Peter’s last book, last chapter,last verse.
3:18 But grow in grace, and [in] the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him [be] glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Do you have the Ingredients of Success?
- Do you have - (DEFINITE GOALS?
- Do you really fully - (EXCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF YOUR SUCCESS AND FAILURES?
- Are you willing to - ( KEEP GROWING & LEARNING ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE?
Note For Us:
This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or use it for good. But what I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something I have traded for it. I want it to be gain and not lost; good and not evil; success and not failure, in order that I shall not regret the price that I have paid for it.
