Untitled Sermon (20)

But I love this class of 2024. You guys have bright futures ahead of you, whatever that may look like. For just a few moments I want to talk about being successful in your future. Let me take you to a passage of scripture in God’s word that takes you guys in the direction you are headed.

Psalm 128:1–4 “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.”

The world will tell you that being successful is having the biggest house, the fattest bank account, the fastest boat, car or other toy on the market. The biggest truck, the loudest friends, the hottest significant other. Success is being the head of everything.

Which means if you ever find yourself lower than the top then you are a failure.

That simply is not the case. Success in its own rights is to reach your desired goal. YOUR desired goal. Success is relative.

If you plan to go to college, and you take a course, what is the objective? To pass, right? Well some will see that getting a C and passing is a success, while others will only be satisfied with an A. Both grades accomplish the task at hand, both students were successful in completing the course, yet one one had a different perspective of success, and that is okay.

What is successful to you is what you should focus on most in life. Of course there are plenty of areas in life that are measurable when it comes to success. If your boss gives you until the end of the day to complete a task, then that is measurable. You are to complete the task before the close of the day. But that is more of a measure of success for your boss, and not for you, which is not what we are talking about this evening.

All of us gathered here tonight want to see you succeed in your own right, whatever that may look like to you.

Success is obtainable, but it takes hard work and determination to reach. You must decide what success looks like to you, and strive to attain it. Set yourself goals in life, and tackle them. It’s going to take sacrifice, it’s going to take time, it’s going to require some planning, a lot of hard work, and loads of energy. No one achieves success overnight without struggle. But it’s worth it. You were not meant to live on this earth, work your daily job, pay your due taxes, and pass into eternity without pursuing your own desires. This life is yours, and no one else’s. It is yours to live.

Do not sell yourself short when setting these goals, either. You as an individual are unique. You were intricately created for a purpose. Find that purpose, and chase it. If some of your goals do not scare you even just a little, change them. You are better than that.

Don’t let people talk you out of your dreams. They are your dreams, not theirs. People who do not understand your dreams will never understand your vision.

Don’t compare yourselves to others. Comparison is the thief of joy. You did not walk their path nor did they yours. The destination will look different. You may have similar results, but their process looked different. Focus on your own outcome, and be thankful for your own hard earned results.

You only get one go at this life, do not waste it focusing on what others have. Make the best of your own life while you can.

AS YOU MOVE FORWARD AND BECOME SUCCESSFUL, there are often areas that can make or break people in the process. I want to take a moment to talk about them.

1.Be successful in your social life:

Everyone needs friends. Whether you have a a handful of friends, or you are a social butterfly that can call nearly everyone a friend, we all need a few.

Being an adult can be fun. You are going to meet so many interesting people throughout your life. Some of you your anxiety just spiked a little and you thought “nope, I don’t want to do this.” Listen, everyone has a social battery. Some have smaller battery life than others, but you can make it.

Having many friends could be okay, but you are going to find that most people are more of an acquaintance than they are actual friends. Your actual true friend will likely be small. But what makes a true friend all comes down to the character of the person.

There are many benefits to having friend. They reduce stress levels, give you a sense of belonging, they build your confidence, they give you support. Studies even show that a high quality friend even causes you to live longer.

There are going to times when you need a good friend. Not someone who will turn their backs when the chips are against you. Not someone who gossips about you when you are not around. (How do you know if you are not around? If they gossip a lot in front of you, they will likely gossip behind you. Thats how you know.)

Life will not be easy, and you need someone to turn to when things get rough. You will need someone to run too when you need an ear to listen, or a shoulder to cry on. These friends of your will carry when you feel like you want to cave in. These friends will be your safe place.

— Choose your friends wisely —

Just as much as you need a friend, they will need you as well. Don’t be the one in the friend group who is flaky. Don’t be the one who takes all of the attention or the care from someone, and does not reciprocate it. You will need a good friend, but you must also be a good friend to those when they need it.

No one should go through this life solely on their own. Find friends, and lift each other up.

NOW FOR THOSE WHO ARE SPIRITUALLY MINDED

Remember these words: Proverbs 18:24 “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

The friend who sticks closer than a brother is Jesus Christ. Jesus is a friend to all and He will never leave you. Though all may turn on you, He will remain by your side until the end no matter how difficult the road ahead may seem.

2. Be successful in your career:

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.”

I want you to know that you are going to hate the process sometimes. Whether it be starting your own company or working for someone else in theirs, there will be days that you feel like walking away and throwing in the towel. DONT. Give the job your all. Even if the job is just a stepping stone and not a career, give it your all. Works if you are working for the Lord rather than a man.

Many times I have wanted to walk away from a task or even an entire job, and it is okay to take a break or find a new path if need be, but when you get tired or frustrated at people or situations at work, look at it as you are working for God Himself rather than some man or woman.

You will have to be hard working in order to succeed. Some days will be more difficult than others. If you have to ignore the world and focus as if it is solely the Lord you are working for, then so be it. Work hard to please Him. The Lord rewards a hard days work.

3. Be successful in your home:

Dating: Date to marry. Remember, you are not just keeping time with a guy or a girl. They could end up being the other parent to your child. Pick someone that will invest in your family. Choose someone who will be a good parent to your children. I assure you, it is far easier with 2 good parents. Date intentionally, and pick your spouses wise.

According to the American Psychological Association, approximately 40-50% of first marriages end in divorce. The divorce rate of second marriages is even higher at around 60-67% ending in divorce. Be choosy.

The vast majority, of you will likely be a parent one of these days. You brought them into this world without them having a hand in this. It is your responsibility to give them the best chance at life that you possibly can. Did you have a good chid hood? Make it better for your kids. Are there some areas to improve? Do things differently when you raise your own.

(( Also, when you do have kids many of you will realize why your mom or dad did what they did the Way they did. I cannot tell you how many times I thought “When I get older”, and now I’m older and know exactly why my parents raised me as they did. So Give your parents, or whoever raised you, some grace and a lot of love. It is not easy.))

Young men, I am looking at you on this one. Fatherless children are anywhere from 3-20 times more likely to be incarcerated than those who grow up in dual parent households.

There is a great link between fatherless children and violent crime, drug and alcohol abuse, truancy, drop outs, unwed pregnancy, suicide, and psychological disorders. The factor of being without a dad is greater than any other variable shown in tests.

I know that it is not always your choice, guys, whether or not you stay involved, but I would encourage you to do all that you can to see that it is so.

Young ladies, nurture your children. This fast paced world is already against the dynamics of the nuclear family. Life is going to be pulling at you from all directions. Don’t let it pull you away from pouring into your children and your household.

Both of you, when you find someone to hold onto, pour your all into it. You will not always be able to give 100%. Some days you will only be able to give 70%, and your significant other will have to pick up the slack. There will be rough days for your beloved and you will have to pull the slack by going the extra mile. That’s Life. That’s the way it will always be, but if you are going to be successful

Pour into each other. Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!”

It is a partnership. You share the wins, you share the loses, and you stand by each others side through all in between. You are each others rocks. Find someone worth spending forever with, and pour into that.

Finally, yet most importantly

4. Be successful in your walk with the Lord:

Want to truthfully be successful? Commit yourself to the Lord. In all of your ways acknowledge Him, and He will bring you the meaning of success.

You may not be spiritually minded, but I would miss a great opportunity here if I did not inform you that there is an afterlife. When you walk outside, look around you. This world did not spontaneously appear from a few molecules colliding with each other. Even science has pointed to the evidence of a divine Creator without admitting that there is a higher power outside of this world.

We have a Creator. YOU have a creator. You are more than just a collection of cells that will work your lives away and end up in a box 6 foot in the ground. You have a soul that will experience and afterlife. The 2 destinations are heaven, or hell. Eternal life, or Eternal death. If you want to spend the rest of eternity, not the rest of life but eternity, in hell, then do nothing. Do not follow the Lord, do not look into following His ways, keep your mind focused on you, and let it be so. But if you would like to have eternal life. If you would like to experience the most wonderful afterlife that the Creator has set aside for His children, then I must tell you that Jesus Christ is the only way to enter eternal life. If you will place your trust in Him, He will take care of the rest.

Hebrews 9:27 “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,”

Jesus Himself said “what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul.”

If you do not have Christ at the center of your life here on earth, then as successful as you may become, you will always be lacking.

You will never be successful in the afterlife without Him. Without Him there is only death and ruin.

If you have Him, give your all to Him. Yes, you can be successful and be a Christian. You can be very successful an be a Christian.

Proverbs 3:6 “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

You put God first, and He will bring Everything into place where it should be.

I would be more than happy to talk to you about how you personally could have eternal life and spend the forever in heaven along with me. So many others would be willing and ready to share the way with you as well, or you can ever pull your phones out and find some good enlightenment on our Lord. But it is important that you do something about it before it is too late.

I wish you guys all of the success, the joy, the happiness and fulfillment that this world has to offer. Good Luck class of 2024. We love you guys.

Closing Prayer