“The Secret Ingredient of Success”
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Gospel of Luke, 13:1-9
Introduction: Let’s say you need to get a job. You put your resume together to show all the experience and talent you possess. You make sure it looks great and says what you want it to say. You don’t want any embarrassing mistakes; Right? Well, here are a few real-life excerpts of mistakes that made it into people’s resumes:
1. Dear sir. I am a rabid typist. (Stay away from her)
2. I’m a quick leaner. (I’m not sure how this benefits her in the job, but OK)
3. I seek challenges that test my mind and body, because the two are usually inseparable.
4. Here are my qualifications for you to overlook.
5. Hope to hear from you shorty.
Q. Do you know what it takes to make it in life? To be a success?
This morning we are going to look at three qualities that will help us to be a success: the right attitude; hard work; and the right power behind us.
In Luke chapter 13, Jesus told a parable about a man who owned a vineyard. In that vineyard was a fig tree; a fig tree with no fruit on it. In Luke 13:7 the man was told- “Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?”
Time and time again Jesus showed His impatience with those who do not take advantage of the opportunities that God has given them. God desires for us to produce fruit with the life we have been given. While for each of us that fruit will be different, there still is the expectation that fruit will be born. The questions each of us should ask is: What in life do I need to accomplish? Where is God leading me to make a difference? Where is my passion?
I. The Right Attitude- (Luke 13:6-7; Colossians 1:3-10)
a. Faith- As we think about the first ingredient for success, “the right
attitude,” we need to talk about faith. Faith is important, but why is it important?
The apostle Paul knew that faith in Jesus Christ was the most important thing, because when we have faith in Christ, we are led to seek out the will of God for our lives. As we are told in Colossians 1:9-10, “9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” Paul uses phrases like: “KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL.” “LIFE WORTHY OF THE LORD.” “BEARING FRUIT IN EVERY GOOD WORK.”
These things can only happen when we have faith in the Lord, because when we have faith in the Lord we have the right attitude to seek to live as God has created us to live. And when we live the way God has designed for us to live, we will have success because we will be confident that Jesus Christ is who He says He is and can do what He tells us He will do.
Colossians 1:4-5- “4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— 5the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel.”
Here are some wonderful words of faith from children: (Children’s Letters to God, compiles by Stuart Hample and Eric Marshall)
1. Donna says: “We read that Thomas Edison made light, but in Sunday School they said you did it, God. So I bet he stoled your idea.”
2. Jeff writes: “Dear God, it is great the way you always get the stars in the right places.”
3. And Eugene says: “Dear God, I didn’t think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset you made on Tuesday. That was cool.”
b. Fruit- Having the right attitude also means for us to make “bearing
fruit” a priority in our lives. The idea of our lives needing to be fruitful is mentioned often in the Scriptures. We have not been put on this earth to be lazy and negligent, but rather to make a difference; to bear fruit. This is why the owner of the parable (who represents God) was upset over the tree not bearing fruit. The tree’s purpose was to bear fruit, and it wasn’t fulfilling its purpose. For us to be successful in our lives, means that we need to bear fruit. We don’t have to have extraordinary talent to bear fruit, we just have to believe and seek out the talent we do have, not letting others discourage us.
The well known tenor opera singer ENRICO CARUSO was once told by one of his music teachers: “You can’t sing. You have no voice at all.”
Beethoven’s music teacher said about him: “As a composer he is hopeless.”
The author of the book “Little Women,” Louisa May Alcott, was told by an editor: “You are incapable of writing anything that would have popular appeal.”
Walt Disney was once fired by a newspaper editor because he was thought to have no “good ideas.”
If these people would have listened to their detractors, they would have never accomplished anything with their lives!
c. Giving- Thirdly, the right attitude is about having a spirit of giving.
Jesus tells us in Acts 20:35, “..’It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Jesus came to give His life as a ransom for many, so Jesus knows what He is talking about. The person who gives of themselves will be much more blessed, much more successful in the eyes of God than the one that doesn’t.
Illustration- David Livingstone was a Scottish Baptist pioneer medical
missionary and explorer in Africa. He heard about the many people in Africa who had never heard about Jesus Christ and so he decided he would become a preacher/doctor to tell people in Africa about Jesus. He began to help people who had never seen a white man. When he died he was buried in Westminster Abbey, London, England; a place saved for kings, queens, statesmen and heroes. David had a brother named John. John became a very successful businessman. When John died he left a great deal of money. David however died penniless. Yet it is David, not John, who is remembered today for his great works.
David Livingstone was one who gave of his life to others, and made a tremendous impact not only for this world, but for many who will go to heaven because of his efforts!!
II. Hard Work- (Luke 13:8-9; Isaiah 6:8)
Luke 13:8-9 we read, 8" 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. 9If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' "
We see here that the vinedresser, when challenged, was willing to work harder to get
the tree to produce fruit. Now it is important to note that in this parable, Jesus is not expecting the fig tree to produce bananas. Jesus is only asking that the fig tree accomplish what fig trees ought to accomplish—bear figs!
We all have different gifts. Some can sing, some are creative, some are artistic, some are mechanical, some are business minded, some can cook, and so on. The secret is to find our abilities and put them to good use. But in using them, it is important to work hard and to give our best.
Illus. “Make Me Like Joe,” More Hot Illustrations, p. 114. (Story of a drunk who was saved at a Mission, began to volunteer there and became known for a giving person. One night the Director had an altar call, a man came forward and said: “God, change me. Make me like Joe.” The Director said: “Don’t you mean make me like Jesus?” To which the man asked: “Is he like Joe?”)
When we use our abilities to make a difference/ and work hard at it with a good attitude/ we will impact the lives of others; we will bear fruit for the Lord through our example.
Illus.: October, 2005 Stewardship Magazine, “3 Boys Who Were Talking about Inheriting from their Father when he died.” (Oldest son wanted his father’s fraternity watch; middle son wanted his father’s special ring; youngest son wanted his old checks. The other 2 looked at him and asked: Why, the other 2 asked? Youngest son said: “Because on each check is a record of dad’s expenditures and purchases. Each check is an autobiography of dad’s life. His dreams, and hopes, and desires.”
We work hard for our money, and how we spend it shows us what is important, and what kind of success we have in life. We work hard for our money, but that money should be used in the right way. God makes it clear that 10 percent of our hard earned money is to go to the work of God!
The prophet Isaiah is asked this question by God in Isaiah 6:8: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And Isaiah answers the Lord with these words: ‘Here am I. Send me!’”
We must understand that it is not just about working hard. We can work hard, but in the wrong ways. It is about leaving a testimony of your life that shows you answered the question ‘Who will I send’ with the words, ‘Here I am, Lord, send me.’ If we bear fruit that does not honor God, in the end our work will not be successful.
III. The Right Power- (Colossians 1:11)
a. Accessing the power- Illus. “Blackout,” More Hot Illustrations, p.44.
(In 1965 at 5:18 p.m., there was a blackout in the New York area that affected 7 other states and the Canada as well. It covered some 80,000 square miles. It affected people in many ways: many were stuck in subways and elevators; over 200 planes had to be re-routed; a car dealer had to throw out 50 engine blocks because the high speed drills froze while boring piston holes; bakeries reported a loss of 300,000 loaves of bread which spoiled. The power outage lasted for 13 hours and businesses lost more than 100 million dollars.)
Like these businesses, if we are without the right power supply, we too will be limited in what we can accomplish, and we will lack the knowledge or desire to accomplish it. We are told in Colossians 1:11- “being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.”
The right power comes when we have faith and are filled with the Spirit of God/ because the right power is the power of God. When the Spirit of God is living within us, it is then that we have the power to understand God’s will; to understand what we are supposed to do with our lives. It is when the Spirit of God is with us that we have the strength to endure and the patience to seek what we need to know to accomplish great things for God. We must access God’s power; the God who created all things out of nothing.
So how do we access it? Think for a moment of an electrical socket. You know that the power comes out of the socket. To access this socket we must plug in the cord to the socket. Then and only then will we access the power that we have available to us. The power we can receive from God is accessed in a similar way. We must plug in to access the power. I have talked before about connecting our spirit to the Spirit of God. This is the way we access the power of God; we must “plug in” to God’s Spirit. The obvious way that we do this is through prayer. But it is also in sensing God’s Spirit leading us, and following that leading. It is in letting the Holy Spirit convict us of our sin so that we will follow the right path. It is being obedient to what the Bible tells us to do. In all these ways we will access the power of God!
b. Putting it to use- But, it is important that we understand that we can’t
stop here. Having the knowledge of the power that is there, having the knowledge of what we are to do, is not enough. EXAMPLE: I have known my wife Tami for 19 years. For those of you who don’t know, my wife Tami is a great golfer. She got a full scholarship to college for golf. For a while she even taught golf lessons. She has taught me here and there over the last 19 years. I know much of what I am supposed to do to play good golf. The problem is taking what I know, and transferring it to my golf game. I have to apply what I know for it to do any good; for my game to improve.
The same is true for our lives. We have access to the knowledge of God and God’s will. We have access to God’s power. But if we don’t put it to use, then we will not play the game of life, like we should. We will be living by our own power or by some false power; we will be greatly limited in both forsight and practice.
So it is good that God does not just simply tell us His will without giving us the strength and ability to accomplish it. That would make for some very frustrating situations. And in fact, we often see Christians frustrated because they aren’t accessing God’s power, or they aren’t using what they know. They know what God is wanting them to do, but they are trying to do it on their own, and they struggle along, and then blame God for their lack of power. There is a short poem which says:
“Knowledge we ask not, knowledge You have lent. But Lord—the will, there lies our
deepest need. Grant us to build above the high intent-- To do the deed—the deed.”
The deeds we are to do/ the producing of fruit/ is done first by the knowledge God gives to us, but also by our living out the call God gives to us and letting God enable us to be successful with His guiding and powerful Spirit.
Conclusion: Example: “A psychologist named Ericsson” (He and his associates at Carnegie-Mellon University taught students how to memorize random lists. After 50 hours of practice, 4 students could recite back a list of 20 random digits after one hearing. One student could recite back 105 digits. But this memorization technique took him 400 hours of practice! If you met him it wouldn’t be right to say, “What a great memory he has,” but rather, “What great dedication he has.”)
Success comes from dedication, passion, and giving it our best. Spiritual success comes from our desiring to bear fruit, to work hard for the Lord, and by letting the Lord empower us. It is not a matter of opportunity, but of desire; desire to give one’s best to the Master. The desire to be what we were created to be and to make a difference. The desire to give of all of our resources (our time, our money, our possessions, our energy) to make sure that God’s work gets done and God’s will is accomplished.
If the Lord were to come to our church, would He say: “Cut it down, it is not bearing fruit?” I don’t think so. Are we doing all that we can to make sure our lives bear fruit and this church bears fruit? All Jesus is asking of us is that we be the best we can be as His followers. Commit to do this today not only for yourself, but as one who makes sure this church is the best it can be, and is bearing fruit for the Lord. Amen.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Gospel of Luke, 13:1-9
Introduction: Let’s say you need to get a job. You put your resume together to show all the experience and talent you possess. You make sure it looks great and says what you want it to say. You don’t want any embarrassing mistakes; Right? Well, here are a few real-life excerpts of mistakes that made it into people’s resumes:
1. Dear sir. I am a rabid typist. (Stay away from her)
2. I’m a quick leaner. (I’m not sure how this benefits her in the job, but OK)
3. I seek challenges that test my mind and body, because the two are usually inseparable.
4. Here are my qualifications for you to overlook.
5. Hope to hear from you shorty.
Q. Do you know what it takes to make it in life? To be a success?
This morning we are going to look at three qualities that will help us to be a success: the right attitude; hard work; and the right power behind us.
In Luke chapter 13, Jesus told a parable about a man who owned a vineyard. In that vineyard was a fig tree; a fig tree with no fruit on it. In Luke 13:7 the man was told- “Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?”
Time and time again Jesus showed His impatience with those who do not take advantage of the opportunities that God has given them. God desires for us to produce fruit with the life we have been given. While for each of us that fruit will be different, there still is the expectation that fruit will be born. The questions each of us should ask is: What in life do I need to accomplish? Where is God leading me to make a difference? Where is my passion?
I. The Right Attitude- (Luke 13:6-7; Colossians 1:3-10)
a. Faith- As we think about the first ingredient for success, “the right
attitude,” we need to talk about faith. Faith is important, but why is it important?
The apostle Paul knew that faith in Jesus Christ was the most important thing, because when we have faith in Christ, we are led to seek out the will of God for our lives. As we are told in Colossians 1:9-10, “9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.” Paul uses phrases like: “KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL.” “LIFE WORTHY OF THE LORD.” “BEARING FRUIT IN EVERY GOOD WORK.”
These things can only happen when we have faith in the Lord, because when we have faith in the Lord we have the right attitude to seek to live as God has created us to live. And when we live the way God has designed for us to live, we will have success because we will be confident that Jesus Christ is who He says He is and can do what He tells us He will do.
Colossians 1:4-5- “4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— 5the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel.”
Here are some wonderful words of faith from children: (Children’s Letters to God, compiles by Stuart Hample and Eric Marshall)
1. Donna says: “We read that Thomas Edison made light, but in Sunday School they said you did it, God. So I bet he stoled your idea.”
2. Jeff writes: “Dear God, it is great the way you always get the stars in the right places.”
3. And Eugene says: “Dear God, I didn’t think orange went with purple until I saw the sunset you made on Tuesday. That was cool.”
b. Fruit- Having the right attitude also means for us to make “bearing
fruit” a priority in our lives. The idea of our lives needing to be fruitful is mentioned often in the Scriptures. We have not been put on this earth to be lazy and negligent, but rather to make a difference; to bear fruit. This is why the owner of the parable (who represents God) was upset over the tree not bearing fruit. The tree’s purpose was to bear fruit, and it wasn’t fulfilling its purpose. For us to be successful in our lives, means that we need to bear fruit. We don’t have to have extraordinary talent to bear fruit, we just have to believe and seek out the talent we do have, not letting others discourage us.
The well known tenor opera singer ENRICO CARUSO was once told by one of his music teachers: “You can’t sing. You have no voice at all.”
Beethoven’s music teacher said about him: “As a composer he is hopeless.”
The author of the book “Little Women,” Louisa May Alcott, was told by an editor: “You are incapable of writing anything that would have popular appeal.”
Walt Disney was once fired by a newspaper editor because he was thought to have no “good ideas.”
If these people would have listened to their detractors, they would have never accomplished anything with their lives!
c. Giving- Thirdly, the right attitude is about having a spirit of giving.
Jesus tells us in Acts 20:35, “..’It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Jesus came to give His life as a ransom for many, so Jesus knows what He is talking about. The person who gives of themselves will be much more blessed, much more successful in the eyes of God than the one that doesn’t.
Illustration- David Livingstone was a Scottish Baptist pioneer medical
missionary and explorer in Africa. He heard about the many people in Africa who had never heard about Jesus Christ and so he decided he would become a preacher/doctor to tell people in Africa about Jesus. He began to help people who had never seen a white man. When he died he was buried in Westminster Abbey, London, England; a place saved for kings, queens, statesmen and heroes. David had a brother named John. John became a very successful businessman. When John died he left a great deal of money. David however died penniless. Yet it is David, not John, who is remembered today for his great works.
David Livingstone was one who gave of his life to others, and made a tremendous impact not only for this world, but for many who will go to heaven because of his efforts!!
II. Hard Work- (Luke 13:8-9; Isaiah 6:8)
Luke 13:8-9 we read, 8" 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. 9If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' "
We see here that the vinedresser, when challenged, was willing to work harder to get
the tree to produce fruit. Now it is important to note that in this parable, Jesus is not expecting the fig tree to produce bananas. Jesus is only asking that the fig tree accomplish what fig trees ought to accomplish—bear figs!
We all have different gifts. Some can sing, some are creative, some are artistic, some are mechanical, some are business minded, some can cook, and so on. The secret is to find our abilities and put them to good use. But in using them, it is important to work hard and to give our best.
Illus. “Make Me Like Joe,” More Hot Illustrations, p. 114. (Story of a drunk who was saved at a Mission, began to volunteer there and became known for a giving person. One night the Director had an altar call, a man came forward and said: “God, change me. Make me like Joe.” The Director said: “Don’t you mean make me like Jesus?” To which the man asked: “Is he like Joe?”)
When we use our abilities to make a difference/ and work hard at it with a good attitude/ we will impact the lives of others; we will bear fruit for the Lord through our example.
Illus.: October, 2005 Stewardship Magazine, “3 Boys Who Were Talking about Inheriting from their Father when he died.” (Oldest son wanted his father’s fraternity watch; middle son wanted his father’s special ring; youngest son wanted his old checks. The other 2 looked at him and asked: Why, the other 2 asked? Youngest son said: “Because on each check is a record of dad’s expenditures and purchases. Each check is an autobiography of dad’s life. His dreams, and hopes, and desires.”
We work hard for our money, and how we spend it shows us what is important, and what kind of success we have in life. We work hard for our money, but that money should be used in the right way. God makes it clear that 10 percent of our hard earned money is to go to the work of God!
The prophet Isaiah is asked this question by God in Isaiah 6:8: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And Isaiah answers the Lord with these words: ‘Here am I. Send me!’”
We must understand that it is not just about working hard. We can work hard, but in the wrong ways. It is about leaving a testimony of your life that shows you answered the question ‘Who will I send’ with the words, ‘Here I am, Lord, send me.’ If we bear fruit that does not honor God, in the end our work will not be successful.
III. The Right Power- (Colossians 1:11)
a. Accessing the power- Illus. “Blackout,” More Hot Illustrations, p.44.
(In 1965 at 5:18 p.m., there was a blackout in the New York area that affected 7 other states and the Canada as well. It covered some 80,000 square miles. It affected people in many ways: many were stuck in subways and elevators; over 200 planes had to be re-routed; a car dealer had to throw out 50 engine blocks because the high speed drills froze while boring piston holes; bakeries reported a loss of 300,000 loaves of bread which spoiled. The power outage lasted for 13 hours and businesses lost more than 100 million dollars.)
Like these businesses, if we are without the right power supply, we too will be limited in what we can accomplish, and we will lack the knowledge or desire to accomplish it. We are told in Colossians 1:11- “being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.”
The right power comes when we have faith and are filled with the Spirit of God/ because the right power is the power of God. When the Spirit of God is living within us, it is then that we have the power to understand God’s will; to understand what we are supposed to do with our lives. It is when the Spirit of God is with us that we have the strength to endure and the patience to seek what we need to know to accomplish great things for God. We must access God’s power; the God who created all things out of nothing.
So how do we access it? Think for a moment of an electrical socket. You know that the power comes out of the socket. To access this socket we must plug in the cord to the socket. Then and only then will we access the power that we have available to us. The power we can receive from God is accessed in a similar way. We must plug in to access the power. I have talked before about connecting our spirit to the Spirit of God. This is the way we access the power of God; we must “plug in” to God’s Spirit. The obvious way that we do this is through prayer. But it is also in sensing God’s Spirit leading us, and following that leading. It is in letting the Holy Spirit convict us of our sin so that we will follow the right path. It is being obedient to what the Bible tells us to do. In all these ways we will access the power of God!
b. Putting it to use- But, it is important that we understand that we can’t
stop here. Having the knowledge of the power that is there, having the knowledge of what we are to do, is not enough. EXAMPLE: I have known my wife Tami for 19 years. For those of you who don’t know, my wife Tami is a great golfer. She got a full scholarship to college for golf. For a while she even taught golf lessons. She has taught me here and there over the last 19 years. I know much of what I am supposed to do to play good golf. The problem is taking what I know, and transferring it to my golf game. I have to apply what I know for it to do any good; for my game to improve.
The same is true for our lives. We have access to the knowledge of God and God’s will. We have access to God’s power. But if we don’t put it to use, then we will not play the game of life, like we should. We will be living by our own power or by some false power; we will be greatly limited in both forsight and practice.
So it is good that God does not just simply tell us His will without giving us the strength and ability to accomplish it. That would make for some very frustrating situations. And in fact, we often see Christians frustrated because they aren’t accessing God’s power, or they aren’t using what they know. They know what God is wanting them to do, but they are trying to do it on their own, and they struggle along, and then blame God for their lack of power. There is a short poem which says:
“Knowledge we ask not, knowledge You have lent. But Lord—the will, there lies our
deepest need. Grant us to build above the high intent-- To do the deed—the deed.”
The deeds we are to do/ the producing of fruit/ is done first by the knowledge God gives to us, but also by our living out the call God gives to us and letting God enable us to be successful with His guiding and powerful Spirit.
Conclusion: Example: “A psychologist named Ericsson” (He and his associates at Carnegie-Mellon University taught students how to memorize random lists. After 50 hours of practice, 4 students could recite back a list of 20 random digits after one hearing. One student could recite back 105 digits. But this memorization technique took him 400 hours of practice! If you met him it wouldn’t be right to say, “What a great memory he has,” but rather, “What great dedication he has.”)
Success comes from dedication, passion, and giving it our best. Spiritual success comes from our desiring to bear fruit, to work hard for the Lord, and by letting the Lord empower us. It is not a matter of opportunity, but of desire; desire to give one’s best to the Master. The desire to be what we were created to be and to make a difference. The desire to give of all of our resources (our time, our money, our possessions, our energy) to make sure that God’s work gets done and God’s will is accomplished.
If the Lord were to come to our church, would He say: “Cut it down, it is not bearing fruit?” I don’t think so. Are we doing all that we can to make sure our lives bear fruit and this church bears fruit? All Jesus is asking of us is that we be the best we can be as His followers. Commit to do this today not only for yourself, but as one who makes sure this church is the best it can be, and is bearing fruit for the Lord. Amen.
posted by Logan's Blog at 2:51 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home