6 Epiphany 07 c

Most everybody in the world have the same basic desire: we all want to succeed. A wise man once said to me: “There are two rules for success in life:

Rule 1: Don't tell people everything you know.”

I’m not telling you what Rule 2 is.

A successful layman was in a great deal of business trouble. In no uncertain terms, his enterprise was failing. Even though he put in every penny he and the bank had, he contemplated suicide. As a last resort he went to his priest and with many tears asked for help.

When the businessman finished his story, his priest said, “Here’s what I want you to do: Take a beach chair and your Bible and go down to the beach. When you get there, take the beach chair and your Bible and sit at the water’s edge. Next, you shall open your Bible; the wind will riffle the pages, but finally the breeze will die down. Look down a the page and read the first thing you see. From that you will know what to do.”

A year later the businessman went back to the priest and brought his wife and children with him. The man was in a new custom-tailored suit, his wife wore a mink coat, and the children looked like models for a children’s clothing line. The businessman pulled out an envelope stuffed with money and gave it to the priest as a thank-you gift.

The priest recognized the businessman and was curious. “You did what I suggested?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” replied the businessman. “You went to the beach?” “Absolutely!” You sat in the beach chair with your Bible in your lap?” “Absolutely.” “You let the pages riffle until they stopped?” “Absolutely.” “And what were the first words you saw on the page?” The businessman replied, “CHAPTER 11.”

There are some people who give success a bad name.

There is nothing wrong with the desire to succeed; however, most of our problems are caused by pursuing success in the wrong way. We make the mistake of thinking that success is money, or power, or possessions, or prestige and none of these things bring the lasting contentment people want from success. The result is many people spend their lives climbing the economic ladder, thinking things will make them happy but they never really find true happiness. And no matter what you earn, or what you own, or who you are…if you’re unhappy, you’re a failure.

The Bible paints a different portrait of a successful person. Biblical success is not measured by material possessions, though there may be some of that. IT is not measured by power or prestige, though there may be some of that. But the real measure of success we see in the Bible is much different than the one we are accustomed to as 21^st century Americans.

Psalm 1, which we recited earlier, shows us the measure of a successful man. These few, short verses teach us how to find the contentment that true success brings. Today we are going to look at Psalm 1 as we examine this model for biblical success.

1. A successful person does not follow the unbelieving crowd.

You’ve heard the old saying, “Misery loves company.” It’s true. It’s also true that sin loves company. It is a basic Bible truth that sin leads to misery. And miserable people tend to want everyone else to be miserable, too.

The successful person has learned to reject the crowd, because he realizes the crowd is often wrong. When it comes to matters of right and wrong the majority doesn’t always rule. If you want to truly succeed in life you will have to decide that, when necessary, you must stand your ground and let the crowd pass you by. Verse 1 of our Psalm today describes the successful man’s attitude toward following the unbelieving crowd.

a. Don’t listen to what the unbelieving crowd says.

“Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked.” Happy is the person who does not follow the advice of the wicked…

When Walt Disney came up with a brainstorm he would pitch the idea to 10 different people. If they were all against it, he would immediately go to work on the project. While building his company Walt Disney had learned that the conventional wisdom of the crowd wasn’t always right.

What does the unbelieving crowd say to us? If you’re unhappy in your marriage, they say “get a divorce.” If you have an unwanted pregnancy, they say “get an abortion.” If you’re facing temptation they say “do what you want; just don’t get caught.” Overall, the crowd’s advice is “Your happiness comes first; you must look out for YOU. Let the other guy worry about himself.” If you want to succeed, you cannot listen to the unbelieving crowd. Also notice…

b. Don’t do what the unbelieving crowd does.

“ Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners.” Happy are they who have not taken the path that sinners tread…

Most of us, when given the choice, will take the path of least resistance. Our tendency is, by nature, to take the easy way. The successful person, however, is the one who takes the right path, not the easy path. Robert Frost said, “Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.”

c. Don’t go where the unbelieving crowd goes.

Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful.

In the 1940s Colorado senator Gene Milliken was speaking at a televised Congressional hearing on the taxing of nightclubs. One of the clubs mentioned was the “21 Club.” Milliken kept getting the name wrong; he would call it the “22 Club”, and then later the “23 Club”. Afterwards, one of his aides said to him, “Senator, there you were on national TV and you couldn’t get straight the name of the ‘21 Club’. Why, we’ve been there many times together!” “I know,” the senator said, “But in politics you can’t afford to be too knowledgeable of things like that.”

This senator was trying to give the impression that he doesn’t follow the crowd. There is a saying, “He who runs fastest funs alone.” The successful person runs alone. He certainly doesn’t run with the unbelieving crowd. Secondly, please notice…

2. A Successful Person Has a One-Track Mind.

Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful! Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and they meditate on his law day and night.

Winston Churchill said, “A fanatic is someone who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.” In that sense we should all be fanatics, absolutely committed to learning, and knowing and applying the principles of scripture to our lives.

When Carl Erskine, a former pitcher with the LA Dodgers, first came to the big leagues, he was asked a question by owner Branch Rickey. Rickey asked, “Do you go to church?” Carl said that he did. Rickey responded, “I ask that question of every young man that I sign. The reason I ask it is that I’ve found if a person will discipline his life to sit in a place of worship, and get his spiritual values in place, that person will develop a quiet confidence that he cannot get anywhere else.”

Successful people have a one-track mind. They know the difference between right and wrong and they are committed to doing what is right. Success by deceit is not success at all. There are those who may realize short-term economic benefit through deception and dishonesty, but only those who are single-mindedly committed to living according to the principles of God’s law can expect to enjoy the peace and contentment of biblical success.

A cigar smoker bought several hundred expensive cigars and then had them insured against fire. After he smoked them all, he filed a claim, pointing out that the cigars had been, in fact, destroyed by fire. The insurance company refused to pay, and the man sued. A judge ruled that because the insurance company had agreed to insure the cigars against fire, it was legally responsible. The company had no choice but to pay the claim. Then, when the man accepted the money, the company had him arrested for arson.

You cannot defy God’s law and be truly successful. In fact, the true definition of success is Knowing God’s Will and Doing It. When God spoke to Joshua after the death of Moses, the Lord said, “This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful.” (Joshua 1:8)

Meditating on God’s law – allowing it to dominate our thoughts – gives us the strength to live according to its principles. Obviously, this must be done in relationship with Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit. We can’t just learn the Bible without being in relationship to Jesus which helps the Word come alive. We have no hope of keeping God’s Word consistently in our own strength. We need the power of the Spirit to accomplish this end. Emerson said that a man becomes what he thinks about all day long. This is why Paul said…

“Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable. If there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8-9)

A successful person has a one-track mind in which God’s Word is not far from his thoughts.

3. A Successful Person Has Weather Resistant Faith

“Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful! Their delight is in the law of the Lord, and they meditate on his law day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; everything they do shall prosper. It is not so with the wicked; they are like chaff which the wind blows away.”

The Bible doesn’t promise a soft and easy life. It promises that there will be times when we must face the wind and rain, there will be days of drought when we must endure the scorching heat; there will be long, lonely winters that are cold and bitter. It is a fact of life that we will go through trials and tribulations, and we must endure seasons of pain as well as seasons of joy. The successful person is the one who can weather any storm that life brings.

In the early 1970s the firemen of Fairfax County, Virginia received new helmets. They were really sharp; colorful, high impact plastic, size adjustable, and scuff resistant. There was only one problem with the helmets. When they were near heat, they melted. The problem with some believer’s faith is that it cannot resist the extremes of temperature that day-to-day life puts them through.

At the end of World War II, the Allied forces swept through Germany, searching farms and houses for snipers. In the basement of an abandoned house, on a crumbling wall, a victim of the Holocaust had scratched a Star of David, and beneath it, had written these words: “I believe in the sun even when it does not shine; I believe in love even when it is not shown; I believe in God even when He does not speak.”

There are some Christians who believe that if you have faith, you won’t have any serious problems. That is not what the Bible teaches. The Bible doesn’t teach that faith protects you during bad weather.

The first lesson for today from Jeremiah is similar to the first Psalm. Listen to these words written about the one whose trust is in the Lord:

“He is like a tree planted by the water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Put your faith in God. He will help you endure any storm or any drought that life brings your way. Notice how David closes the Psalm:

(v.6) “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked is doomed.”

We have to interpret the Old Testament through the New Testament. The New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old. When we look at the New Testament we see that a person is declared righteous not by what that person does, but by his relationship to God’s provision for salvation. In the New Testament we see the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah in Jesus. Thus, a person is made righteous by their relationship with Jesus. The Psalm says, “The Lord knows the way of the righteous.” Now it may be that those declared righteous don’t always do righteous things. Nevertheless, they are not made righteous because of their own deeds, but because of their faith in Jesus.

The wicked in the New Testament are not necessarily those who do bad things or who harm other people. The wicked are all those who do not have a relationship with God’s way of salvation. The Bible, in our first lesson, says of all of us that our hearts are deceitful and desperately corrupt. Thus, the heart of the wicked, or anyone who does not have a relationship with Christ, is in that state. As a result, their wickedness separates them from the righteous God.

God has made provision for those who may realize their wicked condition and wish to be made righteous by Christ. They need only recognize their rebellion against God, turn from all they know is wrong and turn to Jesus Christ and accept his forgiveness, grace, and eternal life. They will then have a relationship with God. God will walk with them all through their lives because he knows the way of the righteous. His Word will be a lamp unto their feet and a light unto their path.

Psalm 1 offers a perspective on success different than we may be used to. Success is knowing God’s will and doing it. You cannot be successful if you follow the crowd, you cannot be successful without a one-track mind, and you cannot be successful without a weather-resistant faith.

So, who would you consider to be more successful, Alexander the Great - who conquered the world while still a young man or the Apostle Paul – who died alone in prison?...Napoleon – who ruled France, or Francis of Assisi – who begged for food and gave all he had to the sick? Donald Trump – who has become a cliché of 21^st Century American greed, or Mother Theresa who lived in the poorest section of Calcutta, India? The answers are obvious. And the fact is, none of these successful people were wealthy, but their lives were shaped by the Word of God.

It comes to this: The successful person is influenced by the Word, not by the world. The successful person doesn’t follow the unbelieving crowd, doesn’t give up easily, and has a rock-solid faith. By God’s grace, may we all enjoy this kind of success.